Millie's Room

Here are some pictures of Miss Millie's room. It's my favorite...and I hope it will be hers as well. It was so fun for me to create this space for her--her very first room. We put a lot of "homemade" touches in the room to make it feel like that...home.

Some details (to help me remember):
*the day before she was born I made the garland from scraps of fabric
*my mom made the slip cover for the glider and I made the bumpers and crib skirt
*the little peter pan rattle came from her cousins
*the mirror was her great-grandparents
*the three circular pieces of art were created just for her by her three cousins as Christmas gifts when she was still in my tum
*the Ann Arbor map that hangs above her changing table is from the family cottage (RIP)
*the felt mobile was a gift from Bebe & Pop (my parents) to bean for this past Christmas and was made by a family friend's 12 year old daughter
*the monkey are clementine and penelope (one is mine, one is the bests...can you guess which is which?)
*silver baby cup a gift from the great-grands with Amelia's initials
*sunshine print made with love by best
*framed picture of my as a babe with my parents--the first gift the boy gave to me on our first Christmas together
*framed CTA (Chicago Transit Association) map--most important of all seeing as that's how the boy and I met (on the purple line express!)

p.s. I am posting much more frequently over at clementines and monkeys, for those that are interested in seeing miss millie bean on a more regular basis and who isn't!?

Double Digit Week

Miss Amelia Lee is now 10 weeks old. TEN. She's really changing so much and it's such a joy to watch her grow and see her learn. I can only imagine what the next 20 years will hold. Uhh, let's not even..

Some things she likes:
-facing OUT while being held...prob so she can explore the world with those big eyes she's got
-staring at daddy
-being tickled under her chin
-watching tv (oops!)
-stretching
-riding around in the baby bjorn with daddy
-chilling on the roof
-taking walks
-lying on her changing table
-batting at the toys on her playmat

And honestly, I can't think of too many things she doesn't like all the time. I mean, there are definitely things she doesn't like some of the time, but holy hell maybe this child isn't as particular as I thought! Wouldn't that be a miracle. Sometimes she doesn't like the car, sometimes she doesn't want to just be put down, sometimes she won't nurse in public, sometimes she is grumpy when she's gassy (but who isn't!?), sometimes she fusses when she's tired, sometimes I have no idea what's up with her. But mostly, she is just the sweetest little millie bean there ever was.

In other news, I've created two email accounts for her. Because clearly that's a necessity. She can be reached at milliebean10 at gmail dot com. Just in case you need something.

PICTURES!

two months old

Dearest Millie Bean,

Today you are two months old and are as sweet as can be (when you want to be, of course). You are smiling at us all the time and starting to giggle, especially when we tickle your toes or under your chin or poke your cheeks with your own hands or talk in silly voices. It's my greatest accomplishment so far--making you laugh.

You started to develop your own little sleep/eat/play routine (which included sleeping for 6-8 hours straight!) and your daddy and I were really getting used to it...and then we went and messed up your naps and therefore your night-time routine. I guess that's what we get for trying to have a life! But you're still our little precious baby girl and we love you so.

You are starting to babble and coo lots and it's pretty much the best thing ever. You have the cutest little voice and seem to talk not only to us but to the little creatures around you and also the wall. So yeah, good work. I'm sure you're charming the hell out of them all.

You are growing to like your bouncy seat and will sit contently in there while I make my breakfast and coffee in the morning or empty the dishwasher in the afternoon, but you still very much prefer to be in our arms. You still love the sling but mostly just when you want to be sleeping. Otherwise your curiosity wins out and you just examine the world around you with your big gorgeous eyes.

(Okay, soooo...you just woke up from a very short nap (like, 30 minutes) and I may have to take back all the sweet Millie comments. Or maybe not, but I kinda want to. As your daddy said, it's your birthday and you can cry if you want to. And apparently you want to. So go ahead.)

You are really enjoying the activity mat these days and will lay there and stare at yourself in the little mirror for what feels likes hours in baby time (so, like, 15 minutes). You swat at the dangling animals and are even grasping onto the rings. We're so proud.

Thankfully, you love being outside and going for walks. I really, REALLY appreciate this. You no longer like to fall asleep in the stroller though, you'd prefer to look all around and observe and stare (even if it's just at the warning label inside the hood of your car seat). You especially love the roofdeck (again, thank you) and watching this city of yours.

You nurse in short 8-10 minute bursts and sometimes even less. I try to encourage you to stay at it longer, but I'm trying to just follow your lead since only you know when you're tummy is full. The main issue with this is that you do not enjoy nursing in the car, which makes it a little bit challenging to get my errands done around town. And it's hard to predict when you'll be hungry next, so sometimes I feel a bit trapped in the house. But you don't seem too concerned. The good news is that you don't seem to be spitting up as often and your burps are coming easier. I take this as a sign that your little digestive system is working out the kinks--woohoo!

You love having your daddy around and will stare at him for days. He loves to snuggle up on you and kiss your chubby cheeks and long toes. He's the master at putting you to sleep (you don't even cry!) and I wish he was home all the time to take that job. On weekend mornings we love to hang out in bed and love on you as you wake up and stretch and smile and tell us all about your dreams.

You are the hardest job that I've ever had.

Oh Miss Bunny McGee, you are our favorite littlest lovie and we adore you. With your fussies and your sensitivities and your mood changes and all.

Happy Birthday Amelia Lee.

First Family Photo

Right at the spot where the boy and I were married. My how things have changed.

Wow. We made that.

weekend in the woods

We spent this past weekend at my parents house in the woods and it was lovely. Millie got to meet her aunt, cousin, great-grandparents and also celebrate her Bebe's birthday. It was quite the weekend for the little lady.

Miss Eight

Little miss is 8 weeks old. EIGHT. She celebrated by sleeping 7 consecutive hours last night. SEV-EN. Rhymes with HEAVEN. I may have woken up a few times before that just to, you know, make sure. It was such sweet relief after a few straight nights of waking up every 2 hours or so (although she still held onto her 4 hour "first leg" of the night thankfully). She's also been basically sleeping all day, so I'm guessing we're finishing up another growth spurt. Grow Millie GROW. (sidenote: we went in for the "weight check" with doctor paranoid and she weighs 9lbs! When the doc came in he was all, "So, why did I have you come in for a weight check? She's perfect!" And I was all, "uh IDK buddy but thanks for freaking me OUT!" GAH. But also, YAY.)

She's been smiling and laughing lots. Little kinda silent laughs, but laughs just the same. I cannot even begin to describe the bursting joy I feel when she smiles at me. Or laughs at something silly her daddy did. It just totally and completely ROCKS my world.

Her fussypantsmcgeeness has not exactly disappeared or anything, but it seems to be showing up less and less these days. So that's nice. She still feels the need to tell us when she approves of the current activity or not. A lot. And sometimes quite loudly. It's clear she's a lady with opinions, that's for sure. I can't imagine WHO she got that from...

She has now officially taken 3 bottles! Two from her daddy and one from me. I was worried we would have a hard time getting her to take one since the first effort was total fail central. But no need to worry--she's all about it. Bradley said that she won't look at him while she's eating (see evidence below), which is hilarious to me for some reason. Then I was worried that she would get nipple confusion and reject me and my boobs. But, again, no need to worry. She seems to have it figured out juuuuuuust fine. (This mom worry thing is OOC [out of control]--I really need to reign it in. EESH.)


She's, without a doubt, the coolest thing ever.

6 Weeks Plus

So, yeah, once again I am a bit delayed with the postings around this here place. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where my time goes these days, but I can assure you it's well-spent with my little lady. Amelia turned 6 weeks old last Wednesday. Here is evidence of the cuteness:

She continues to melt our hearts with her gummy smiles and she's starting to "talk" to us quite a bit. We love her stories (although the ones at 3am go a leeeeetle bit long and we must remind her to "find her endpoint," as Miss Sarah suggests). Her little voice is adorbs to the max though so I really can't complain.

The day after she turned 6 weeks, she went and gave us something spectacular: 6 solid hours of sleep. In a ROW. If only we had gone to bed at 8pm with her...but we were still thrilled! And then she did it again the next night and I almost died of joy. And then the next night, well, it seemed she didn't like all those consistent hours of sleep. So we'll have to wait and see what happens, but it's still good to know that she has the potential to sleep that long. I have to continue to remind myself that she's 6 weeks old. There is no routine, no schedule. She's just doing her thing and I am doing my best to read her cues and signals and provide whatever it is that she needs at that moment. I mess up a fair share, but I'm learning. But she's my bunny and man-oh-man am I blessed.

Some things she digs:
- bath time (she more than digs it, she adores it)
- butt bumps (preferably in a rhythmic pattern)
- lights (still)
- art (potential artist in the making)
- sleeping in the sling
- lying on her changing pad
- her sleep sheep (still)
- sleeping on her daddy's chest
- being perched up high on our shoulder
- holding her head up
- early morning QT with mama and/or daddy (she seems to be a morning person, just like us--yip!)
- her monkey clementine
- long walks and blue sky

Some things she doesn't dig so much:
- getting out of the tub
- the process of getting into the sling
- the process of getting dressed (mostly just the over the head and the arms into sleeves)
- sitting alone (she's okay for a few minutes, then... not so much)
- hiccups
- swing, bouncy chair, etc....aka my freedom
- nursing in the car (or at crowded parks where the wind is blowing like mad and the "hooter hider isn't "hiding" so much)
- being burped
- mama picking at her dry skin, ear wax, toe jam, etc. (but who would like that?!)

Sometimes I still look at her with stars in my eyes and cannot believe that she's ours. She's mine. She's with us. Forever and for always.

Okay then. Pictures!