1. She has mastered smiling. This girl smiled basically from day one, but she's very interactive and will smile in response to you every time now. She is the most smiley baby I've ever seen.
2. Loves to eat and eats every 2 1/2- 3 hours around the clock.
3. She's moved up to 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.
4. She does not like her diaper changed, especially when she's hungry.
5. She loves to be held and moving. She's a big fan of the swing.
6. She has a passport. And a couple of days after she turned one month she got a stamp in it.
7. She is a spoiled little thing and has been held for the majority of her life between me, grandma, aunt Taryn, and anyone else who can squeeze in a turn.
8. We only spent the first couple of weeks with her at our house before we packed up the car and went to St. George for nearly 3 weeks. She doesn't love her carseat but she has done really well with all of our traveling. She's already learning she has to be adaptable to be a part of this family.
9. The boys absolutely adore her. Briggs is constantly kissing her and they both sing to her, talk to her, and protect her fiercely. I frequently find them playing mama and baby lion (or whatever animal they choose that day) and they stay close to her and growl at anyone who comes close. She is well loved and has some sweet big brothers who will protect her for her entire life.
10. She loves to be swaddled and calms right down when we wrap her up
11. I am a milk machine and have already stocked up about 60 bags of breastmilk in the freezer and she continues to get chubbier and chubbier.
We are so enamored with this sweet little girl and love that she's in our family.
She tolerates so much!
Ian thought it would be a fun idea if he was in my "tummy" and she was in his.
This picture (and the 40 others just like it) was taken by Briggs and is very accurate of how I spend my days.
Ian saw me wearing Alba and asked if he could be a mama Kangeroo too. You just can't turn down a request like that!
Anyone who knows me knows that I love to take pictures of my kids.
I just love to document all the cute little things they do and always look back with nostalgia.
Jesse used to frequently roll his eyes at me anytime I asked for a picture, but he has since learned that it does no good and he's grateful for the pictures later, so the eye rolls have significantly decreased.
Our first week home was spent mostly with just the 5 of us and it was heavenly. Just exactly how I wanted it. Jesse took the first week off and it saved my life. He was a champion father and played with the boys and loved on his baby girl.
Week two we were more on our own but we survived Jesse's 8 hour work day and were glad to see him at the end of the day. By the end of the second week I was finally feeling better so that made everything a lot easier. Someone should warn you how awful those first two weeks are after delivery! :)
So in no real particular order, here are some pictures of our first two weeks with Alba.
She is well loved and had several visitors in the hospital.
Being discharged.
{She was so tiny! It's seriously blowing my mind how little she was when we brought her home because she has certainly chunked up quickly!}
The boys were pretty excited to have baby sister home.
She loves to be all wrapped up.
And is not a fan of being naked.
or hungry for that matter.
We took the boys out to fly kites which was a huge hit. Ian is a kite whisperer and was awesome at it! Briggs had more fun chasing the kite's shadow.
We of course had to do a mini photoshoot and try out some of her many bows.
Turns out if she's well fed and has a space heater then she does a little better naked.
Until she turns into a pirate.
It is amazing how quickly they grow. I tried to get the boys to spread out next to her to compare what four years of growing will do and this was the best I got!
The boys have been so great with her from day one. They love her so much and just want to kiss her face and snuggle her all the time. For the most part she does pretty well with all their love.
The boys loved having grandpa and grandma in town for a weekend. They checked out all the bugs on the front steps.
The boys were so nice to share their blankets and pillows with her.
We gave her a sponge bath and she loved getting her hair washed and brushed.
This picture cracks me up because you can see where their priorities are. Briggs was loving to help bathe Alba and Ian was making faces in the mirror. Too funny!
Ian had decided they were tigers one day and was very protective of his baby tiger.
Briggs adores Alba and constantly wants to kiss and hold her.
This little girl holds a special place in her daddy's heart. I think they are going to be buddies.
She's by far the most popular person in our house.
Briggs hauled this little wagon up one day and asked if we could put Alba in it. I decided we certainly could and he carefully pushed her all around the house. She fit just perfectly and he was so gentle with her. He had even packed a little bottle of milk in there with her. Such a good brother thinking ahead like that! haha.
It's one of my favorite things when babies are tiny enough to just hold in one hand up on your shoulder and they curl in and take up such a small amount of space. It just makes my heart happy.
Since Alba arrived in early May, I was lucky enough to spend Mother's Day as a mom of three!
I sometimes still can't believe I'm old enough to have three kids, but I sure love them all!
She has been the most smiley baby from day one. It's the greatest!
Breast pump parts are not solely useful for pumping. Apparently they are also good for catching snacks that your dad drops in your mouth.
They told me they wanted to be otters with a baby otter. I couldn't argue the cuteness.
Her sweet daddy bought us both shirts that say "Queens are born in May." I love getting to share my birth month with my cute baby girl and that we will both be spoiled by the man in our life forever.
Just before Alba turned two weeks old, we packed up the van and drove to St. George. I didn't know at the time it would end up being such a long trip, but it was heavenly being with my family.
More to come on that trip.
Those first two weeks with Miss Alba were perfect. Having Jesse home for the first week of her life was so special and we just basked in the new baby glow. I felt like time moved at just the right speed. Slow enough to enjoy the little moments and kiss her cheeks a dozen times an hour, yet quickly enough that the days didn't feel like they were dragging on forever. We are loving our family of five!
