New Arrival!

On Monday, March 22, we got a wonderful gift! My step-sister, Christine, gave birth to a lovely little girl named Chloe Elizabeth Johnson!! She weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 inches long (I love a big baby!). Stephen and I are pleased to have a new little niece and Esme is thrilled to have a new cousin- especially one that might turn out to be as big as she is! We can't wait to meet her.



In other news, we had Esme's three month photos taken and had her visit the Easter Bunny for the first time! The three month pics turned out lovely (a bit corny, but lovely) and I can't wait to pick up our prints when we return from England. I hope to have family pics and more pics of Esme done when we visit Seattle next. My friend Tiffany knows a great photographer named Holly Aprecio and we are hoping to get an appointment with her.

Here are a few of my favorites...













The Easter Bunny picture didn't turn out that great but I am probably to blame for that. She fell asleep right after her photo shoot at JC Penney and I had to wake her up for the bunny pics. There weren't any crocodile tears but she doesn't look too impressed!



We are leaving for England tonight and I am scared out of my wits! Not because I am afraid Esme will misbehave (I have that covered as you will discover in a moment!) but because I hate airplanes. I am petrified of them and have panic attacks every time I travel, even though I do it all the time. I can't even drink to calm the nerves- i am breastfeeding and I dont think Ez would appreciate it!

I am always the person sighing when someone brings a fussy baby on the plane. Esme isn't normally a fussy baby but I want to be prepared and hopefully butter the other passengers up so that they wont glare or sigh too loudly! I made little gift bags for the seats surrounding us. I put a little note from Esme (see picture), candy and earplugs in the bags. I hope they are a hit!




We will be in England for nearly two weeks so it might be a while before I am able to update. Esme can't wait to meet her English family!!!

Week 12

Where has the time gone? Everyone always told me that life goes more quickly when you have a child and man, oh man, is that true! I feel like I had her last week. I am doing my best not to wish any of our time together away and am constantly telling her that she can take all the time she needs and can stay small as long as she wants!

I think I have missed a week of this blog somewhere but am just going to pick up from here.

Esme has become VERY vocal in the last week. She has been jabbering and making noise for a while now but this past week took everything to a whole new octave! She loves the sound of her voice (as do I!) and is still doing her fake cough all the time. I love it all!

What have I missed over the past few weeks? Hmmm. Well, we had a massive wind and rain storm that caused our road to be shut down and our roof to leak! We were stunned as we live in a brand new apartment that is less than a year old! They still have not come to fix it and I am getting stressed about mold...they better come soon. We had water dripping our of our electrical stuff! Not safe at all. If they haven't sorted it by the time we get back from London heads are gonna roll!!!

We are on our third bathtub and I think this one is gonna work! The first tub was a spa. We never used the spa part but other than that it was just ok. The main problem is that the sling was REALLY difficult to remove and wash and it got must very easily. The second tub was a blue plastic tub. Ez was too big for the infant sling and too small for the toddler bit. It had to go. The third "tub" is just a sling that you put in the "big girl bathtub." It is actually made by the same company as the first tub but the sling comes apart easily and is easy to wash.

The second and most dangerous tub!


The new (and hopefully final!) tub


We celebrated our first St. Patrick's day. Esme was in the most adorable outfit and looked absolutely perfect. I even put a big, green, sparkly flower in her hair!







A few of my favorite pics from this week:

Grandma making Ez laugh. Her eye is so funny!!!!!




We spent this past Sunday visiting Dick and Miriam (Miriam is my Grandpa Wil's cousin) in Philadelphia (King of Prussia). They were thrilled to meet Esme and even got her a little stuffed doggy! She loves it and would not stop kissing it!



And the doggy kisses didn't stop there! Ez has known her share of cats but had never met a dog before. Sandy was the best dog to start with. She loves kids (Dick and Miriam have 9 grandkids) and is sweet and gentle. She loved Ez!!

Doggy kisses


Miriam made us a lovely dinner (I even tried meatloaf) and we had a lovely time catching up- we haven't seen them since Thanksgiving when I was still pregnant! We enjoy spending time with them and look forward to visiting them again soon.

New Tricks

This past week has been a week of discovery! Esme is leaning to play with some of her big girl toys and loves every minute of it!

The first big girl toy we tackled was the BUMBO. She is getting to the point where she doesn't want to be cradled as much and prefers to sit up like a big girl- the BUMBO is amazing! She sits in it and looks around for minutes on end (ha ha!). I even went out and bought the play tray for when she is a bit more coordinated and wants to play with toys while sitting up.

Esme's very first time in her BUMBO


I decided that she is big enough for a Jumperoo and went out and bought the new Fisher Price laugh and learn Jumperoo. My friend Tiffany highly recommended the Jumperoo on her Blog after her son Alexander preferred it to the Exersaucer. I was very excited and assembled it straight away! I put her in it and....guess what? She is not quite big enough- her feet don't touch the floor yet! She has figured out how to move her legs and make herself bounce a bit but I don't think this will be a favorite until she is a touch bigger. She enjoys the lights and music but is unable to fully appreciate it at the moment.

Help, Mama! My feet don't reach the ground and this thing is swallowing me!


Maybe it is not so bad....but I am still not sure!


Daddy was very proud of Esme this week as he was able to show her off in the Bell tower for the very first time. Grandma, Mommy and Ez made the climb up to the top (Ez was strapped into her ErgoBaby Carrier) and the whole practice was put on hold so that everyone could oooh and aaaah over the baby!

Daddy and Ez in the bell tower


Esme has now outgrown her sleep positioner and sleeps without it in her pack and play. The morning after her first night without it I woke up to a surprise (and have done so every morning since!)! Esme completely turned herself in her sleep and was looking quite pleased with herself! I guess she takes after Mama and wiggles a lot in her sleep.

Good morning, Mama! Look at my new trick!


Esme has developed the most ridiculous fake cough! She likes to hear herself make noise and her coughing noise is her favorite at the moment. I have tried to capture it on video but every time the camera is pointed at her she stops! It is almost as if she knows it is blackmail for the future!

She is also trying to roll over. She doesn't like being on her tummy but I try to make her spend a few minutes a day playing on her tummy. The reason babies don't crawl or walk as early as they used to is because they are no longer allowed to sleep on their stomach. When babies slept on their stomach they learned how to push themselves up on their arms earlier which lead to crawling and walking earlier. The "back to sleep" movement has significantly reduced the rate of SIDS but has slowed down mobility.

Esme is half way out of the 0-3 month size and half way into the 3-6 month size. It is not that she is too big- it is that she is too long! Some of the brands run larger and will get a few more weeks of use but some of them are too small already. Most of her PJ's are now 3-6 because of the length.

Here is Esme in one of her cute little clearance rack dresses ($3 from JC Penney!) I am queen of clearance.


My mom sent me this picture when I was at school. I was smiling from ear to ear all day!


Mommy and Daddy took a walk around our apartment development and Esme looked absolutely adorable. We have had a lot of problems with our apartment but we enjoy the scenery around it. There is a great view of the city and a lovely golf course witha lighthouse. She has almost outgrown this snow suit! I guess our next one will have to be a girl too so we can get more use out of it!


We are getting ready for our trip to England next week! Esme is looking forward to meeting her English Grandparents and Aunt Helen, Uncle Adrian and her two cousins Stuart and Miles. Fingers crossed for a smooth, uneventful flight and a baby who enjoys it!

Romantic, Enchantic Atlantic City....

(Ten weeks old)

Wild Hearts Can't be Broken was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It is about a girl who rides diving horses during the great depression and they go to Atlantic City "where all your dreams come true." It may not be the most glam place in the world but it was sure exciting for me!

We drove down to Atlantic City on Friday night and stayed at a cheapish hotel at the end of the boardwalk called the Flagship Fantasea. What a mistake! The room was large and had a fantastic view of the water and the city but had one big problem...NO HEAT! After returning from dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe we noticed that the room was still as cold as it was when we left despite turning the heat on when we arrived at the hotel. We called reception and after having a repair man come and check the heater, moved us to another room on another floor. We had all of our luggage unpacked, Ezzy's pack and play assembled and were in our pajamas! Hardly the most convenient time for a move...not to mention it was almost 1 am!

We arrived in our new room only to discover that the beds were as hard as rocks! We had to call and request to be moved, yet again. We had to wheel Ezzy and her pack and play down the hall AGAIN! Third room was a charm.

Stephen and Ez on the Balcony of our final room...


Stephen wheeling Ez down the hall for the final time.


Stephen and Ez in the Elevator...


We spent all day Saturday strolling the boardwalk. I was expecting Atlantic City to be dirty and plain but it was quite the opposite. The sun was shining, the waves were crashing on the beach and it had an old school elegance to it. All of the tacky souvenir shops and philly cheese steak stands added to its appeal and we hope to go back one day.

Ezzy had a major blowout on the boardwalk (bribe pic!)


The water




Stephen, Ez and I


More of the boardwalk (Bally's)


My favorite picture of my Mom and Esme ever!


I had no idea that Atlantic City had a feral cat problem! We spoke to a man who feeds the cats (all 76 of them!) everyday and knows all of their names and he said that they are very well taken care of. There are houses and beds of straw under the boardwalk to keep them warm in the winter and they have all been trapped and spayed/neutered to prevent more unwanted kitties being born. It made me sad to think of the kitties sleeping alone under the boardwalk at night but after seeing how robust and well fed they are, I know in my heart they are happy with their life!

The cats at the boardwalk (the grey tub behind the cat is full of food and supplies)




No trip to the Jersey Shore is complete without at least on garish purchase! This onesie is in homage to her massive boardwalk blowout! The funny thing is that I had JUST changed a poopy diaper minutes before the accident happened! I guess I was one minute too soon!


Not much else happened this week. Esme is smiling and laughing all the time and it melts my heart every time. She is an incredibly happy and chatty baby and she brings an unbelievable amount of joy to all of our lives.

One of my favorite pics. The lighting makes her hair look dark but I assure you it is very light these days!



She's got daddy's blue eyes!


I am posting this a bit behind schedule so I know that there will be a lot of interesting things in the next blog! She has starting using a few big girl toys and has learned a few new tricks! Will post soon xxx

Where has the time gone?

Ten weeks have gone by and I still find myself standing over her crib during nap times and at nighttime watching her breathe. Sometimes I have to touch her just to see her move and confirm that she is ok. I love her more each day and I can't imagine our life without her.

Esme's two month appointment went very well. Here are her stats at 10 weeks and 2 days (3/10/2010):

Weight: 13 pounds 2 ounces (85th percentile)
Height: 23 inches (55th percentile)
Head: unknown (they measured but didn't write it down for me)

Dr. Serafino said that Esme has met and exceeded all of her developmental goals so far. He said that she is very alert. She follows voices and people around the room and is intrigued by bold patterns. He was amazed that she is laughing and said that most babies don't laugh until the end of month three!

She tries very hard to roll over when you lay her on her tummy. She doesn't like to be on her tummy too long (except for naps) and gets a bit cranky. She is very strong though and I am sure she will be mobile in no time! SCARY!

The next thing Dr. Serafino told me was shocking! Ezzy's gums are swollen which could mean her teeth are coming in! This explains why she is constantly chewing on her hands! Dr said he has seen teeth as early as three months (the average is 7) and that she may be getting her chompers early! This is exciting and scary to me at the same time. I am still exclusively breast feeding and figure this is going to complicate the matter a bit!

I think one of the worst things the world is watching your baby get shots. Ez got two shots on this visit (I am still sticking to my thimerosal and preservative free list) and I cried just as much as she did. My heart breaks evert time she cries and the chin quivering, gasping for air cry is the absolute worst. It took ages to calm her down and then the nurse who gave the shots came back in the room (with free tylenol samples!) and Ez head her voice and started screaming again! Smart girl!!

Ez is changing everyday! She is starting to stretch her legs and hold her weight for a few seconds. I plan on getting her a jumparoo bouncer soon!

Here is a quick list of Ezzy'z likes and dislikes:

LIKES:

Kushies play mat
Boppy swing
Boppy pillow (usually means it is food time!)
Bath time
Lullabies at bed time
chewing on her hand
soothie and avent binkies
Having lotion applied to her body
Being tickled and smiling/laughing
Having her feet rubbed together!


DISLIKES:

Tummy time
Getting taken out of the tub
The flash from the camera
Getting lotion applied to her face
Other Binks
Having to wait (even a second) for food
Putting onesies on

The last week has been pretty uneventful. We have been shopping a few times but that is about it! We are headed to Atlantic City for one night this weekend so should have a more eventful blog next week! Here are a few pictures to make you smile...

Ez having her feet scrubbed in the bath (this makes her smile!):


More bath pics...




I told you she doesn't like being taken out of the tub...look at that lip!


About to head off the the Doctor's office. Looking cute in a dress from Guncle James.


Fantastic sleeping pose


The epitome of perfection




The last thing I want to write about today is diapers! I have fallen in love with Huggies Pure and Natural diapers...I just wish they weren't so damned expensive. The second best thing I have found to compare with them are, surprise, surprise, Costco's kirkland signature brand! They are soft and lovely like Huggies pure and natural and are half the price! They absorb everything unlike the horrible pampers little swaddlers! If I never see a another pampers diaper in my life it will be too soon! GROSS. So mommies, if you are looking for a very good bargain diaper you should definitely try Costco's brand!

And we'll leave you with a smile....