Virginia's First Birthday!

For those of you who haven't given up on me -- I'm back.

No excuses or apologies... Let's just start catching up!

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Virginia's first birthday parties were so much fun.  We had a family/neighbors party on Saturday and then another party with some friends on Sunday.  I used decorations that my friends made for my baby shower (score!) and so everything turned out cute.   We just made it very simple and had desserts that I made ahead of time, so I was able to enjoy the company of everyone who took the time to come celebrate our sweet Virginia Alice.

I made these invites on PicMonkey and printed them at Staples.

{Big thanks to Jason and Meagan and Laura for taking all the photos for us!}

 The birthday girl's outfit!

(Made from scraps of fabric that I had.)

Me and my 

ONE YEAR OLD!

I think Little Miss was a Little Confused that day with all that was going on around her!

Checking out the scene...

We moved the loveseat out of the way so the kids could have a little room to play.

(Also, notice how Mom and I are dressed the same.  We ALWAYS do that!)

Mummi and Doc

Bebe and Pop

(Dad, this is why you should sit up straight in pictures... let this be a lesson!)

 The Havenwood Court gang

(Born January 5th, February 8th, and February 16th!)

Virginia loved having all eyes on her for the birthday song and cake.

Well, I guess she loved the birthday hat the most.

See for yourself.

Okay, okay, nevermind the fact that I made the hat... you can take it off...

 Looks like she's cheering up a little...

Let's try to sneak the hat on for some cute pictures...

... It's her party, she can cry if she wants to...

Oh well, I tried!

(Hat - cheerios box, glue gun, scrap fabric & ricrac, pom, and about 10 minutes of time)

Here's the whole thing on video!

(It's blurry for about 15 seconds but clears up.)

Let's move on to Sunday's party!

After church on Sunday, Josh had some healthy Burger King for lunch and shared his fries with the birthday girl...

...who was extra sleepy and not really ready to party...

 ... until she put on her party hat (well, not really) and all her friends showed up!

Happy Birthday to our sweet potato pie!!!!!

(aaaaand it only took me 5 hours to sort/edit pictures and write this post... this is why i don't blog)

Sleepy Head

Most mornings, after Virginia has had her breakfast,
she is still too tired to start her day.

So, she stays in bed while I get Josh's coffee ready
and do a few chores around the house.

I like to peek in frequently through the cracked door to check on her,
and this is what I see...

... and my heart melts like I'm seeing her for the first time!

Will I ever not have the feeling of
"Wow, this is my child, and she is the most precious thing in the world."?

I doubt it!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

Such a doll

Don't you agree?

  

This is V's favorite hang-out spot.  

She loves gazing out the window... and crossing her feet and hands like such a little lady with her Ellie rattle positioned perfectly for a photo.  

Okay, maybe Bebe was responsible for a couple of those things. :)  

But it made for a sweet photo, didn't it?!

First Real Bath

Virginia's first real bath was a success!  

(If you're just tuning in and wondering why my 7-week-old has only recently had her first tub bath, refer to this post.)

Poor girl didn't want the bath to end...

Weekend with Uncle Davis

Davis got to see V in the hospital for a little while, but she wasn't on her best behavior while he was there, so we were looking forward to him getting some Q.T. with his new niece!

He stayed with us over the weekend and we had a good time strolling around with Virginia in downtown Homewood and at the Summit, watching movies, and eating at Flip Burger.

Uncle Davis loves you, Virginia!

V at One Month

I will try not to say this every month, but I can't believe that four whole weeks have gone by and we have a one month old baby!  Virginia has already changed so much since we came home from the hospital...

At her one month appointment last week, she was 9lb 13oz (up from birth weight of 7lb 11oz) and was 21.5" long (up from 20.75"). Her head circumference was 14.25" (I don't even recall what it was at the hospital).

Her little face has really plumped up and those cheeks just scream, "Pinch me!"

She is much more alert and will gaze at you with those big, beautiful eyes and just make your heart melt! We have noticed that she likes to look at a few things around the house in particular -- especially the big wedding portrait of Josh and me that hangs next to our bed and the fabric flowers that I attached to her curtains!

V has been giving us sweet grins in her sleep since day one, but as of last week, she has been smiling a lot for us while awake! Oooh how I love those grins!

My favorite moments with Virginia are when she's nursing and when she's sleeping and making all of those sweet faces -- smiles, frowns, chuckles, etc.  I sure wish I knew what dreams were causing those expressions. 

Speaking of nursing, Virginia has been a great eater from the beginning. (She must love to eat like her momma.)  I have not tried to push a schedule on her because I haven't found it necessary for our purposes. That may change later, but we're happy with how things are going so far.  V has a pretty good, consistent routine going...  

Typically, 

-She's up for a morning feeding between 6:30 - 7:30am.

-She eats every 2.5 - 3 hours throughout the day.

-The last feeding is around 10:00pm. 

-We lay her in the bassinet in our room and I go to sleep in there.

-She usually wakes up around 3:00am, and I take her into her room to change her diaper and feed her. 

We then stay the rest of the night in her room. (I sleep on the twin bed in there.)

-A new day starts again between 6:30-7:30.

So really, I've just been getting up once during the night for the past two weeks, which I can't complain about at all! People keep asking me, "are you getting ANY sleep?" I feel pretty fortunate that V does so well at night. She has no trouble going straight back to sleep after eating and doesn't make a peep until it's time to eat again. 

Let's keep this up, Virginia!!

I can't wait to see what the next month has in store!

A Day in the Life of Virginia

Here are some snapshots of what Miss Virginia's days look like 

(as captured by my iPhone)

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Most days, I get to wear fancy booties made by my Great Grandmother Brewer.
(this was in the hospital... Mommy took the anklet off once we got home.)

 I get to lay in bed with Daddy... it's just so hard to wake up on Saturday mornings!

Mommy dresses me up in all my day gowns made by Bebe and Grandmother Brewer.

I fall asleep on Daddy most nights.

Sometimes I like to swing while I nap.

I love to be swaddled at night.  I kind of look like a glowworm!

 Some of my dreams are just so funny.

When I was still a little jaundiced, Mommy laid me in the sun a lot.

We even sit out on the back porch sometimes.  Too bad there are lots of bumble bees out there!

Sometimes I just get so upset and Mommy has to calm me down.  My tears linger on my face, though.

Most of the time I'm pretty happy!

Mommy takes me to stores and I get to lay close to her in her carrier.  I love it so much!

 My mommy and daddy think I am so pretty!

 I am turning into a very observant little girl.

Sometimes I like to play in my ocean.  Sometimes.

 Some days, I just want to cry all day.  Mommy cries on those days, too, but I don't know why.

 I also have to go to the doctor every once in a while.  The crazy ladies there make me strip down to just my diaper and then weigh me and prick me with needles.  Why does Mommy take me there??

I try to get all dolled up so that the doctor thinks I'm extra cute and will be extra nice to me.

I sleep on Mommy. A lot.

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I'd say you've got a pretty nice life, Miss Virginia!