oh, that smile!

a little video of anabelle smiling. i could listen to her noises all day . . . oh wait, i do!

(we're swaying and i'm holding the camera out with one hand, that's why it keeps moving)

look what i found this morning!

life sure is good!

learning curve

vicky brought anabelle a baby glow worm this weekend. thank you!

she's definitely growing . . and my biceps are thankful. they're getting a free workout!

with anabelle almost 8 weeks old, i surely have learned a lot as a new mommy. just today i realized i'm not supposed to be leaning into her when breastfeeding. who would have thought? thanks to a google search and a few youtube videos, we gave the football hold and side lying positions a try - both worked great! side lying is so snuggly. she looks so sweet laying on our bed. it remind me how tiny she is. i'm so looking forward to the three of us snuggling together in december. actually, i think i've pictured that for years!

this week i've gotten my first taste of 'mommy guilt' after an aborted trip to target. i just couldn't seem to soothe her while we were there. since i hadn't even gotten anything in my basket we decided to just go home. it's not that i felt like i had made her sad, it's the feeling that i didn't keep her from getting sad (i know this won't be the first time i feel that way). oh, thank goodness i have a counseling background and can talk myself through these sorts of things (& can call my own mom), reminding myself that this is normal, the two of us are doing just fine, and that obviously . . there is a learning curve to this new mommy thing. so my master's degree hasn't gotten me a sweet well paying job, but maybe it will at least make me a better mother . . the job i've been dreaming about anyway.

interesting facts from chris:

i was asking chris some background about the base he is at. ends up it was built back in the 70's. there are over 29,000 service members and contractors there. that's huge! it's a NATO base so there are people from all over. chris says he's met people from some of those random places you've only heard of in geography class; you know the ones you're not quite sure how to spell? the craziest thing is that his commute from where he sleeps to the office he works in takes longer than his commute here in san diego! he says the nights are definitely starting to cool off there. his shaved head is getting chilly so there is a florida gators beanie on it's way to him. hooray for college game day starting this weekend!

a couple great faces:

this one is a little fuzzy. i was trying to catch her smiling while we were bouncing on the exercise ball. it seems there would be a big belly laugh that comes along with this cutie face.

bouncey seat

anabelle is enjoying the bouncey seat alexis let us borrow

big bed

just laying around on our bed for a bit while i get dressed

self portrait

we're still working on our self portrait skills, but this one isn't bad. there's nothing like the weight of a cozy sleepy baby resting on your shoulder or on your chest.

good morning

my girlfriend jamie said it just right this week when she asked, "is it like christmas morning everytime you go in to get her from her crib?" exactly . . but better!

good morning, miss anabelle

learning to smile

another nice breakfast together (ok, yes, you caught me. i did time it so chris' pic would be on the screensaver)

her gentle giraffe just came in the mail this morning. now we have a friend to keep in the car so her sleep sheep can stay in her crib. if you aren't familiar with these, they make soothing sounds for baby and anabelle loves them. they are made by cloud b if you want to check them out.