Celebrations

The past weekend was full of family celebrations.  On Saturday, we joined together in honor of Grandma and Grandpa G's 60th wedding anniversary.  What an accomplishment!  Most were present for a lovely brunch in Annawan.  Why didn't we take any pictures?!

Sunday was back to Peoria to celebrate Baby William.  He will be joining Shaun and Bill's family in about four weeks, and we couldn't be more excited.  Shaun and Bill have been waiting for such a long time to welcome a new little person!  For this occasion, I did manage to take a few pictures.

We fit about 25 people into my house.  We were cozy, but it worked.  

What a blessed family we are!

5 Months Old!

The good times keep rolling here at our house!  Yes, Charlotte is a rolling girl, which is always fun to see.  She enjoys things that make crunching sounds.  If only plastic bags were appropriate baby toys...  She still loves her Daddy and Forrest the best, although she has smiles for just about everyone.  What a happy girl!  She is beginning to take naps longer than 30 minutes, and nighttime sleep is going fine, just up once or twice.

Celebrating Charlotte's baptism.  She wore the gown Grandma Gryp made for me, Shaun, and Kati and slept through almost the entire service. 

Yes, we're happy people here, and starting summer break today.  Love it!

4 Months!

Yes, indeed, Charlotte is a four-month-old!  In the past month, this little girl has done some growing and learning.  She is now 14 pounds and learning how to move.  She has rolled from tummy to back many times and can now grasp things with intention.  She enjoys her rattle toy and can turn book pages.  Letty Rose is a happy baby with plenty of smiles to share.  Her sleep continues to improve; many nights she's only up once to eat and doesn't bother me otherwise.  This amazes me; it took Forrest until he was around 10 months old to do that.  I hate to compare the two, but I'm just so happy that we are both rested and can have such pleasant days.  Yes, we are a happy little family.

3 Months!

Little Letty Rose is three months old; such a transformation newborns go through around this time.  All of a sudden, we have a baby who seems like a little person rather than a newborn who is all work!  During her third month, Charlotte has continued to develop such a happy disposition.  She smiles so easily, especially when rested and fed.  She has become quite an agreeable baby, and she's sleeping on her own at night now.  That feels like a huge victory!  We seem to be done with co-sleeping, which eases my worried mind so much.  She will sleep for 3-5 hour stretches, and that makes us all happy.  Yes, the first two months Charlotte (and all babies, I suppose) felt like we were in survival mode, but some time during the past couple of weeks, we are enjoying life so much more!

On to month four!  May it bring warm spring days for our little family to enjoy!

Two Months

Another month has passed; Charlotte is two months old!  She loves her Daddy the best, and she's a girl with sweet smiles and plenty of coos.  She's a great sleeper... when she's held.  Someday she will sleep for longer than 20 minutes on her own.  I'm sure of it.  Her eyes are already beginning to turn brown, and her dark newborn hair seems like it's staying.  Letty Rose is learning to relax in her car seat, so trips to take Forrest to school have been less screamy lately.  We're all glad for that.  

One Month

We've spent one month getting to know our little Charlotte and remembering what work a newborn is!  After a few bumps and some problem solving, we're doing well (most of the time!)  Here's hoping for more sleep during month two (ha!).

 

New Year, New Baby

Charlotte Rose arrived just before Christmas, surprising most.  We're doing well so far!