Lizzie Sue - Happy 3 Months Old!!!

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Today you are 3 months old. (ok fine yesterday...it took Daddy an extra day to get all the pictures together) Now Daddy wasn't a math major but he did stay at a holiday inn express last night (ok so that's a joke about a hotel chain...yeah I'll explain it when you are older) anyway, 3 months equals a quarter of your first year of life has already passed. Daddy feels like a broken record always talking about how it feels like just yesterday you came home from the hospital with us and now you are already 3 months old...that's so crazy. You'll never understand this one until you have your own lizzie sue! As always here's the typical birthday picture of you and Roxie Bear.

This past month has given us so many smiles and laughs over the last 30 days...and not just smiles and laughs from mommy and daddy but you too have started to smile and laugh. All it takes is for you to let Daddy give you one raspberry and it starts off a 10 minute process of raspberry then smile, raspberry then smile, raspberry then smile until eventually Daddy starts to feel short of breathe from all the raspberries. Yes I know that just means Daddy needs to work on his cardio so he can give you more raspberries and seeing your smile makes it all worth it.

We survived your 2 month shots a couple weeks ago, and I say we because it was just as traumatic for Mommy and Daddy having to watch as it was for you getting the shots. Hopefully when you get older you'll take after Mommy and Daddy and not mind needles.

Also in the last couple of weeks your hair has really started to get long in some spots. At first I was going to say thicken up but that sounded more like something you would say about gravy and not hair so I'll run with getting longer. So Daddy has had a goatee for the last 3 months and just recently had to shave it all off. Just the other night I was holding you and for the first time your little hair was tickling Daddy's face instead of Daddy's face tickling you. It shouldn't be long before Mommy can start to do all those crazy girly things to your hair like ribbons and bows and clips, and scrunchies (do people actually still call them scrunchies?) and headbands and ponytails and pigtails and any other kind of tails Daddy doesn't know about.

And for Daddy's last thought of the post, this has got to be one of my favorite memories over the last month. It took you almost three months, but you finally spit up on Daddy when he was home for lunch in one of his nice work shirts. You were very considerate about the whole situation as you decided to spit up just above Daddy's breast pocket and everything was contained in that pocket. It did make clean up a lot easier so Thank you for that one. Of course I don't think this compares to the time you spit up down Mommy's shirt, and by down I mean you completely missed the shirt and got it down the neckline of the shirt and all over mommy instead of her clothes. I don't think they have an Olympic game for marksmanship in baby spit up, but if they ever did, you'd be our little gold medalist!

We love you,

Mommy and Daddy

Inner ramblings...

So here I am sitting at work, bored and I still have an hour and a half to go. I have been thinking that I should update this thing with my own perspective since Keith does most of the writing.

From the day people started finding out I was pregnant they would say "It is going to change your life" and my immediate thought is no kidding. I am going to squeeze a kid out and then me responsible for her. Sounds like a life alterling experience to me and believe me it has proven to be that an much more.

From the day I gave birth to her my emotions have been over whelming. Most of you know we were readmitted to the hospital about 24 hours after being discharged due to jaundice. I never dreamed that his would affect me the way it did. To this day (3 months later) I still get teary eyed thinking about having to go back to the hospital. Not because it was a bad experience it was a good as it could be but it was at that time I realized how much I loved her and I didn't want anything to hurt her. I knew she would be fine and we would be going home shortly but I was so upset at the idea that I couldn't hold and cuddle her. It was all I wanted to do and I couldn't. I didn't leave her side that whole time, no one could convince me too. I never realized I could love someone so much, someone I hardly new.

These emtions were reaffirmed when it was time for me to go back to work. I was a mess that day. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave her even though she was home with Grammie Sue, Gramps, and Daddy. I wanted to stay home with her, but I couldn't and now that I have been back to work for about 6 weeks I am finding that I am enjoying getting out of the house and having some adult conversation that doesn't revolve around when the last diaper change was or when the next feeding is. It has made me a better Mommy to get out of the house, but I can't wait to be off for the summer and get to spend all of my time with her. I am already dreaming about the great fun we will have this summer.

Lizzie Sue is 3 months old tomorrow. I can't believe it, she is growing and changing every day. I won't give many details because I know Keith is planning a post for tomorrow.

All in all, life is good...

Shots, bouncy chair love, longer hair and 11 weeks old!!!

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Today you are 11 weeks old! I'm sure there is something daddy could come up with about 11 weeks being a prime number and how special this week is but since we were up pretty late last night, Daddy just doesn't have that in him. More to come on last night later.

Ready for St. Patrick's Day next week! (the onesie says "I'm a McCutie")

So on Monday you went to the Doc for your 2 month check up and shots. Before Daddy gets to the part everyone wants to hear about (that's the evil thing that mean old nurse stuck in your leg) Daddy has to tell everyone just how big you've gotten lately. You weighed in at 11 pounds and 14 ounces...then mom fed you right after that so I'm sure your more like 12 pounds at this point. Then daddy and the nurse had a philosophical conversation about is it really how tall you are or is it how long you are? Daddy's logic is that it isn't tall until you start to stand up so until then I'll say that you are 22 and 3/4 inches long. Not bad considering you were only born at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19.5 inches long.

Ok fine Daddy will cave to the peer pressure and tell everyone about what they really want to hear about...the shots. At first Daddy thought it was the cutest thing in the world. The nurse gave you your first shot in the thigh and you looked down at her and at the needle sticking into your leg and you had this look on your face like "huh, that's odd, what is she doing to me?" Then all the sudden someone flicked the switch and you realized you didn't like it. Then the screaming started and that wasn't as cute. By the end of the three shots you hit such a high decibel in your scream Daddy was starting to worry about his glasses cracking. After that you pulled a typical you and went from hot to cold like in the Kate Perry song. Not even 5 minutes later you were totally calmed down and going into your carseat to go home. You pretty much slept the rest of the day away, wanted to just nuggle with Mommy and Daddy, and actually handled the shots pretty well. The next day wasn't as nice.

The day after the first shots will go down in permenant memory for Mommy and Daddy. The only thing we can figure is that all of the lethargic sleep you got after the shots allowed for to not sleep at all the next day. You didn't nap during the day. You didn't nap while Daddy was home for lunch. You finally napped from 1-3pm for Daddy in your bouncy chair. After that you were awake and didn't nap that evening. You didn't go to sleep at 8pm like you normally do. You noticing a trend here? You were so over tired but you just didn't want to fall asleep. I promise you that at night you can sleep all you want and you aren't going to miss anything. Trust me. Mommy and Daddy will be sleeping. Even Chip and Dale will be asleep to, so instead of testing this theory and staying up til midnight...just trust us and go to bed!


On to a more embarassing part of the week, we had the first explosive diaper that landed you going right into the bathtub. Again Mommy and Daddy are going to blame those evil shots as to why you were a little backed up. Now we know you love your bouncy chair, you sit in that thing for hours just batting away at the toys and enjoying yourself. For whatever reason tonight you were so relaxed in your bouncy chair that you finally filled that diaper, and over filled that diaper, and filled your pants, and filled your bouncy chair too. Thankfully a Maselli bath and a full change of clothes was a quick fix. The short answer for everyone asking what a Maselli shower or bath is from Mommy and Daddy's college days. Daddy's junior year we lived near Cadet Maselli, who was all about numerous quick showers (all in the same day) without soap which become known as a Maselli shower.

Also this week we've noticed that those two longs tuffs of hair behind your ears seems to have spread. Now you've kinda got this Friar Tuck thing going on. Even the balder spots on top and in the back are starting to thicken up as well. Fingers crossed you'll keep this brown hair and blue eyes and be Daddy's little Galway girl.

We love you,

Mommy & Daddy

Double Digits...10 weeks old!

Dear Lizzie Sue,

Today you are 10 weeks old, that's double digits. I know it doesn't sound like much, but think about it this way...double digits will only happen 2 more times in your life, when you turn 10 months, and when you turn 10 years old. So with that in mind, you are already a third of the way through your double digit changes...wow they really do grow up so fast. Ha ha.

So this past week has been an adventure into night time routines and sleep patterns. Up until this week Mommy and I just let you fall sleep for bed where ever and when ever you wanted. We figured you would know better than us your needs. After 2 months of 2-3 diaper changes and feedings throughout the night, we figured it was time to try something else. After a few nights with more of a routine, you gave daddy the best birthday present he could have asked for...no not season tickets to the Steelers (if you could work on that for next year that'd be great!) you slept through the night for the first time. Of course we haven't had a repeat performance yet, but ever since then you've been going to bed better, sleeping better, only needing to be changed once, and better/less feedings too. Needless to say Mommy and Daddy are sleeping better at night too which also is a plus.

When Grammie Sue visited she warned us that Moenke children like to move, dive out of arms, flip out of chairs, learn to crawl quickly, plain and simple they aren't content to just sit still. I know Grammie Sue was telling us that information but you weren't supposed to be evesdropping on our adult conversations. Ever since then you just aren't content sitting still. Even when we put you down on your belly for belly time, you lift your head up like your doing push-ups (read as Norwich Rook class of 2028), and with a little help from Daddy you push off and move your legs like your crawling. Also lately when either Mommy or I are holding you, you've been extending your legs and actually holding yourself up for a bit. Eventually those cute chubby legs give out but for only 10 weeks old you are standing up for a good amount of time. Let's just hope you take the time to learn to crawl instead of skipping crawling and jumping right to walking like Daddy did.

So you don't realize but this week we started having babysitters stay with you in the afternoon while Daddy and Mommy go to work. You have already had 1 day with each babysitter and so far you have survived. More importantly the babysitters have survived and haven't run out of the house crying...let's hope that continues. So for a teaser for next weeks post, you've got your 2 month doctors visit the beginning of next week. In case your reading this blog I don't want to say the next word so I'm going to spell it...S H O T S...no not the fun kind either... yeah so Mommy and Daddy aren't really looking forward to that doctors visit but if your going to go to college in 18 years from now, they'll want to make sure you had your S H O T S before you enroll so we have to do it. Hopefully somewhere between next week and the next 18 years, you'll forgive us.

We Love you,

Mommy & Daddy