One Year Ago Today...

we found out we were expecting this little one. I will never forget that day. I took the test early in the morning, but didn't look at the results until a few hours later. We had to drive John and Jenny to the SF airport in the morning, but I couldn't hold "it" until we got back, so I took the test, put it under the sink, drove to SF, waited for Randy to go to work, then I looked at it. If it was positive, I wanted to surprise Randy when he got home. If it was negative, I knew I would be disappointed, and I didn't want anyone to know. So I waited. When I saw the word "pregnant," I broke out in tears. I was soooo happy. I thought that the next 9 months were going to be the longest of my life. Looking back, time went by quickly. I feel so lucky to be this little girl's mama. She makes me smile every single day. I can't imagine my life without her. She brings so much joy to people and I can't wait to watch her grow and learn new things. I'm so in love.
p.s. I am one pound away from the weight in that photo of me. Woohoo! Go me!

Highlight

Every morning I am greeted by a huge smile. I stand behind her bassinet and say, "Where's my Hattie Baaaabbbyyyy?" and she starts moving her body, laughing, grinning and squealing. She looks back at me and squeals louder. It is the highlight of my morning. I am so happy she wakes up happy-unlike her mama.

100 Days Old

She has been in our lives for 100 days. I can't believe it. I have changed 8-10 diapers a day for 100 days. You do the math.

Sleeping in the Crib...

for naps that is. She finally takes most of her naps in her crib. Sometimes she will protest, but within minutes she is asleep. Up until now, she either slept in my arms, in a front carrier or her swing. Her naps last anywhere from 15 minutes (seriously) to 3 hours (yippee!). She sleeps in a bassinet in our room in the evening.
These photos were taken when Martha visited in March.

Her Hands

In the last week, Hattie has started to use her hands more and more. She is using them to grab objects and swat at hanging toys. She loves to put them in her mouth, keep them open (vs. fists) and put them together (holds her own hands). She often stares at them as if they are the most fascinating things she has ever seen.

3 Months and some visitors

She's 3 months today!!! Now I can say time has gone by fast. The first several weeks seemed to pass by slowly, but now she is constantly growing and learning new things on a daily basis.
She:
-is starting to grab hanging toys and pull them towards her mouth
-laughs when I kiss her neck
-loves her infant massage class
-sleeps from 7pm-6am with one nighttime feeding
-loves to look at herself in the mirror and will stop mid-cry to stare

Grandpa and Nana stopped by today and watched her while I shopped at one of my favorite stores-Scrapbook Island. And she only cried a little bit for them :)

Long Lost Relatives?

Albert Einstein
Gene Simmons
Hattie Fawcett

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Who's Cameron you ask? My 11-year old cat. He was the first baby in the house. I have been feeling guilty for ignoring him since Hattie's arrival. If you know him, you know that he is very affectionate and likes lots of attention. Well with Hattie around, he doesn't get it very often. In the beginning, he was seen running from the room as soon as she started making noise. He can now tolerate her crying: he ignores her.
So, Happy Birthday Cameron! And no, this is not an April Fool's joke. I really am wishing my cat a happy birthday :) Ha!

Four Generations

The Saturday before Easter we visited my grandpa so he could meet Hattie. Afterwards, we stopped by my Aunt Esther and Uncle Fred's house. My cousin Lisa and her son Ryan were there. I had visions of taking lots of photos, but Hattie had other plans. Her schedule was thrown off and she was exhausted which led to a complete meltdown. Poor baby :( She slept well that night!

First Easter

We had a relaxing Easter. Hattie and I drove to Los Banos and spent the weekend with my parents. We visited my grandfather (photos later) and my aunts, uncles and cousin.
On Easter day, we spent some time with John, Jenny, Karen and Jenny's mom.
Hattie found some eggs and looked adorable in her Easter dress and bonnet.

Somebunny...

wants to wish you a Happy Easter!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We went to another playdate. She's at "8 o'clock" in this photo. Notice her looking at me? She is getting very familiar with the camera and she knows exactly what to do: look at me and be cute.

First Playdate

Last week, Hattie and I went to our first playdate. I am in a group for new moms through the local hospital. We meet weekly at the hospital, but then a mom will volunteer her home for a playdate once a week. She played with friends and was happy until it was time to take a group photo. The two other babies were fine until Hattie started to cry. Then they began to cry. She is such a leader. Who knows? Maybe she'll be the FIRST woman president.

A Visit from Grammy

Martha flew in from Idaho this past weekend. She looked after Hattie while I ran some errands and cleaned out my closet (packed up maternity clothing-yeehaw!). Hattie and Grammy went for many walks, played on the activity mat and changed lots of diapers (I'm VERY thankful for that one). I just want to mention that even though Hattie is crying/upset in these photos, she was perfectly happy until I brought out the camera. I take many photos of her everyday, so can you blame her?

2 months and a new baby

Hattie is 2 months today.
She:
-is starting to bat at objects on her activity mat
-imitates people sticking out their tongue
-finally tolerates her swing
-wakes up at 6am
-is outgrowing her newborn clothing
-smiles more and more

And congrats to my cousin Lindsay and her family. She had a son yesterday: Titus Grant Willmer. This is her third child and first son.

Love at First Sight

My brother Nathan met Hattie for the first time this weekend. He drove up to San Jose and my family celebrated his birthday at the Cheesecake Factory. He bought the cutest little outfits and a soft toy. I definitely think he's in love.

Activity Mat

I decided to try out the Activity Mat that my cousin Lisa bought me for my shower. I think Hattie is a little young, but I can put her on it and she will stay entertained for about 10 minutes-just long enough for me to take a shower.

Hotsling

Because Hattie likes to be carried around ALL DAY LONG, I put her in one of three front carriers: hotsling (seen here), Moby Wrap or the Baby Bjorn. Within minutes of being held in one of these, she falls asleep and I can accomplish a few chores around the house.