Smiles all around!

Yea! We finally found a place to live today! It's taken us almost a week to find something so we're all very excited. Especially Azure, she finally gets her own room. You can see her happiness exuding in this picture, her first smile caught on camera :)

This last week has been somewhat stressful b/c of our apartment/house hunting but now that we've found a place we're stress-free, at least for now.

Azure has been drooling like crazy the past few weeks. I read that at 2 months this is normal due to overactive salivary glands and that it doesn't mean she's teething (thank goodness). We tried to get some shots of this drool. If you look closely you can see the spit bubbles. I think she inherited her dad's salivary glands except hers are only active when she's awake ;)

Stay tuned for pics of our new condo!

Update

We heard back from Midwestern today and unfortunately we're not going there this year since everyone showed up to orientation. We don't know why we need to stay here in Provo but we are trusting in the Lord that He knows and that He has a plan for us even if it means staying in Provo for a few more months. Azure was excited to move to AZ b/c she likes warm weather just like her mommy and daddy but alas we will have to bundle her up come winter and protect her from the snow!

2 months!

Yesterday Azure had her 2 month checkup and weighed in at 10 lbs! She was 7 lbs 3 oz when she was born and 20 inches long. Yesterday she measured at 23 inches. So she's gained 3 lbs and grown 3 inches!
She received more vaccines and she actually didn't do too bad. Charles helped hold her while the nurse stuck her several times. As soon as Azure realized what was happening she started to cry and so did I! But, her cries were more of shock and trauma than painful screams. We're just glad it's over!
We'll post more pictures soon...

Azure and Hasidic Reggae

Above and below are the views from our final resting place at the concert. It turns out that our seats in the third section were a scosh too boisterous and we moved up to the lawn seating, where Azure enjoyed the Torah-inspired raggae of Mr. Matthew Miller aka Matisyahu at volume levels below the pain threshold. Oddly, 1 inch speakers on a computer fail to capture the bass that an amphitheater is capable of producing. Aside from the general level of debauchery around us, we enjoyed the remainder of the concert and Azure was happy until hunger and sleepiness struck, luckily this was a place where feeding her publicly was not going to make people uncomfortable. After such an action-packed evening, Azure was pooped and slept for a record nine hours straight.

Pie Plate Eyes

Ok, so Charles won the poll by a long shot and I do agree- he and Azure are practically twins but I did look like Azure when I was a baby. Maybe I should post some of my baby pics and have a rematch with the voting poll!

Azure continues to get bigger and longer each day. She is enjoying her baths a little more especially when she gets dried off in her hooded towel.

She also likes this here sling a little more than she did at first. She prefers it to her stroller. She lifts her head up and looks around at all the scencery with wide "pie plate eyes" as Charles calls them. The other day we took a walk in it and she completely zonked out.

We thought this was a funny pose so took a picture. Later we found out why she looked so surprised/bashful, this was just seconds before a big blow out! So big that those pajamas she's wearing are now stained! :(

It Takes a Village

Azure is extremely excited to attend her first concert outside of the womb. So excited that we purchased tickets to see Matisyahu next week. Having questions as to the general procedure of bringing an infant to an outdoor amphitheater, I called the ticket office to satiate my curious mind. The following is an actual approximation of the conversation I had with the "ticket office lady."


TOL: SmithsTix, how can I help you?
ME: Yeah, I had some questions about the Usana Amphitheater. Are children allowed, and if so, do they need a ticket?
TOL: How old is the child?
ME: Ummm 2 months.
TOL: (pause) You DO realize that this is an outdoor venue and there is NO shade?!
Me: Well, the concert is at night.
TOL: (pause again) Well, yes you can take a child.

It's good to know that the public safety net will protect Azure from some of the errors we may commit as new parents. Stay tuned for a post on our experiences at the concert.

Growing up

Azure turned 6 wks old last Thursday and has made lots of improvements. I think she's finally getting used to life outside the womb! She has been smiling more this past week while being fully awake and not only when dozing off to sleep. It is so precious to see her smile at me. It's one of the first fruits of my labors that I can see :)

She's also been makings new sounds this past week- more cooing and aahing. She does this even more when she's in her swing and when looking at her new toy that she got from Uncle Miah and Aunt Monica. Her cries are even sounding different now, more like an older baby and not so much like a newborn anymore. And what's even more exciting is that she is crying less! For the first 5 wks I would've described her as a somewhat fussy baby but she is acquiring more self-calming skills and can look around and just be content for longer periods of time now. Yesterday I had my 6 wk checkup. Azure was in her car seat looking at her toy and making cooing sounds when our midwife said, "She's one of the calmest babies I've seen recently at a postpartum visit." Wow, what a compliment. Of course she cried most of the time in the backseat on the way home, but we'll take what we can get.

The last interesting update is about my lifestyle change. Every afternoon during Azure's play time I put her in her swing and turn on KBYU which is PBS Kids and have her "listen" to cartoons. First there's Sesame St., Caillou, Bob the Builder and then Winnie the Pooh. Of course she can't watch them since she can't even see the TV but she is entralled by the ridiculous high pitched cartoon voices. As I was sitting on the couch watching her swing and listening to the ridiculous plots I suddenly realized how different my life was. I was watching cartoons! Something I haven't done for I don't know how long. I also realized that my life will continue to be this way for many years to come. I'm starting to learn everyones names on all the shows!

After the swing we have "tummy time". She does a good job of holding her head up and pushing her feet against my hands to scoot herself around.

I'm so grateful for this little girl! She has taught me alot in the last 6.5 wks maybe even more than I've tried to teach her. I feel like I've become a better person as I've had this short experience in taking care of her- we're growing up together!

Bath Time

We've started a nightly ritual with Azure to help her get ready for bed and sleep longer- so far it's seemed to work. She sleeps about 6 hrs straight now. We take a bath, eat, sing hymns and then get rocked to sleep in the glider. Yesterday we went to Babies R Us and noticed that all the babies advertised on the bathtubs they were selling were grinning ear to ear and having a gay ole time. We have found that these moments are few and far between. Sometimes she enjoys her baths, but sometimes not. These pics are before the actual bath was taken.

B-Logs are the wave of the future.

Up until this point in my life, I have chosen to steer clear of B-Logging, but because there needs to be a detailed record of Azure's shenanigans, it now seems the prudent thing to do. Please take the time to participate in the poll to determine who Azure most resembles. Results will be published and presented to Azure at a later date.

These pictures will lead you to the correct answer.

Back Track

I'm gonna back track a bit to just before Azure was born. Here's some pregnancy pics that our dear friend Shannon took (who also took our engagement pics- she's great!)

Most of you know our birth story but for those who don't I'll give a brief summary. I'm not a fan of needles so we had planned for a natural birth. We took a hypnosis prenatal class which was great and I would recommend it to all who are interested in natural birthing: http://birthnaturally.org/ At all of our doctor appointments, the midwives we were seeing said Azure was positioned just right (head down, facing my back- anterior) even at my last appointment 3 days before she was born. We arrived at the hospital after my water broke; and after not progressing and painful back labor for 12 hrs we consented to Pitocin (to speed up the labor) which increased my back labor EXTERMELY but did it's job in dialating me to a 4 only to find out just then that she was BREECH! So, after 24 hrs of labor and 12 hrs of back labor and 3 months of practicing hypnosis for a natural childbirth, I had a C-section! So, my advice is to get an ultrasound before going into labor!

But, they pulled her out just fine and she's absolutely perfect so we won't complain too much! After a few days in the hospital we finally brought her home.

My mom stayed with us for a week which was a BIG help. We were sad to see her go. My mother in law also came for a few days. I definitely needed the help.

Swings- the greatest invention ever made!

As soon as this swing came into our lives (thanks to Uncle Cabe and Aunt Jenn) we have been greatly blessed. Now I can eat breakfast and take a shower before she takes a nap.

Sometimes it can keep her entertained for up to an hour!