Dear Daddy...

Dear Daddy,

I'm so excited to see you tomorrow! I've missed you! I've followed your instructions and been very good for Mommy. I've slept through the night every night you've been gone (except one). Last night I slept for 7 1/2 hours (I think Mommy was really happy).

Mommy and I have had a good day today. I've been a happy baby, smiling and cooing at her. :) This morning Mommy took some pictures of me. I was busy trying to suck on my hand...boy, is that hard to do! I think I'm getting better at it though. I'm sure one of these days I'll figure it out.

Then Mommy bundled me in the carseat so we could visit with Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Jones. She even took a picture of me in the rear-view mirror.

I got to cuddle with Grandpa when we got there. I was so happy to see Grandma and him that I couldn't stop smiling!

Now Mommy and I are going to eat dinner with Grandpa and Grandma. Whew! What a busy day, but it's been fun.

Love you, Daddy!

~ Jenna

Spring

Today feels like Spring! The high today was about 50 and sunny. Bailey, Jenna and I ventured out (in the backyard) this afternoon.

Bailey preferred sitting on Jenna's blanket rather than the grass. :)

Then Jenna had some tummy time. She did really well holding her head up...

...and then she let me know that she had had enough. :)

Daddy's Away

This is the first time that Drew's been away from Jenna. He left Monday morning on a business trip and returns late Friday evening. I'm going to try to post pictures and videos while he's away so he can see his little girl.

Jenna and I have been staying busy visiting her great-grandparents, seeing her grandpa and grandma, going on walks with friends, and running errands. She's been doing well recently with sleeping at night. She's slept through the night 4 times, but not consecutively. When she doesn't sleep through the night, she's only getting us up once so it's not too bad. Overall she's a very happy baby. We have her 2 month check-up next week...which means her first round of shots - ugh! I bought Infant Tylenol the other day to get ready for them. I hate seeing her cry, but I know it's good for her. I'm really anxious to find out her weight and length. It seems like she's been growing so much lately!

Here are some of Jenna's latest developments:

1. Jenna's found her hands and is now working on figuring out how to suck her thumb/fingers. She'll get her fist up to her mouth and then get frustrated because she can't suck on it very well. It's so cute!

2. She's holding her head up much better than before.

3. She's focusing on objects and will turn her head in the direction of a sound.

4. She's making more noises - cooing and ahhing.

5. She's still smiling, but not consistently yet (I'm really looking forward to that!).

6. She's started showing us a pouty face when she's upset, which is sad and cute at the same time.

7. When we stand her up, she can support her body on her legs for a few seconds before they go "limp".

These are some pictures from the past few days...and of course a video of Jenna wiggling around.

Tummy Time

I'm on a video kick right now! This afternoon we had some "tummy time". Jenna did a great job lifting her head. I know, you're probably looking at this video saying "I don't see anything special", but we're new parents, so everything is special and exciting I guess. ;)

On another note, I'm trying to figure out a schedule to put Jenna on. I've read "On Becoming Baby Wise" and liked some of the suggestions they had. Another friend recommended reading "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer", so I ordered that online today (for $4). I want to try and get Jenna on a schedule before I go back to work in 6 weeks. She doesn't do too bad right now, but she's kind of on her own schedule, which can be inconsistent. Any suggestions?

Jenna and her mobile

A few evenings ago Jenna was such a happy girl! We placed her in her crib and she was very content just laying there looking around. We turned her mobile on and near the end of the video you can see that she "found" the mobile and stared at it for a while.

Saturday evening Jenna slept through the night for us - a total of 7 1/2 hours!! Unfortunately, we haven't had the same luck since, although she's only been getting us up once a night. Actually we've never had trouble putting her to bed at night. She's usually already been asleep, but a few times she's been awake and just fallen asleep on her own. However, last night was the first time she cried when we put her down. So we let her cry for about 10 minutes, then she was quiet about 5 mins., and then she cried again for maybe another 5 mins (off and on). It was soo hard to let her cry and not "run to her rescue", but I know that's what's best for her.

Not a newborn anymore

Our little girl's growing up! She no longer can wear her newborn clothes and, in fact, 0-3 month sleepers are too short for her too. Such long legs! It seems like this growth spurt happened overnight. One day she's fitting into her newborn clothes and the next day I can no longer fit the shirts over her head or zip up her sleepers because her legs are too long. Will it continue to go this fast?!?

I'll leave you with some pictures of my GROWING girl...

(I have no idea why this picture turned sideways.)

Jenna has on her bear jacket...it reminds me of the little boy from "A Christmas Story" who has on his very thick snowsuit and can't keep his arms down by his side. Haha!

More Videos

Yep, we have some more videos to share.

In this first video Drew was trying to get Jenna to smile. She's been smiling for us more and more. I just love seeing her whole face light up when she does smile. It's precious!

In this next video, Jenna decided to use Drew's thumb as a pacifier.

We discovered that Jenna likes to listen to the piano being played. Drew decided to have her "play" it this time.

Lastly, here's a video of Jenna kick starting her motorcycle. (I guess we're going to have to start saving up for a CRF70...in pink of course!)

Lots of videos!

Jenna and I had a fun time playing together on Friday. She's not yet reaching for her toys, but once I pried her fingers open and placed the rattle in her hand, she held on to it for quite a while. I'm not quite she sure knew she was holding on to the rattle, but I was proud of her for holding on to it as long as she did.

In this next video, I was trying to have Jenna focus on her rattle and follow it with her eyes. She was doing it pretty well before I got it on video, but you'll notice her look towards it every so often. :) (Also notice the jealous dog at the end of the video who wants to play with Jenna's toy.)

And lastly, here's a video of Jenna getting a bath today. She LOVES getting baths. She just relaxes in her little hammock and enjoys feeling the warm water on her skin. Such a sweetie!

Ok and to follow up that video, I have a few post-bath pictures of her wrapped in her hooded towel.

Alumni Basketball and our Little Girl

This past Saturday Drew and I took Jenna to Cedarville for the alumni basketball game. It was exciting getting out and introducing her to our friends, but at the same time it was nerve racking for me - not knowing how she'd be behave, if she'd be tired and fussy, if she'd want to nurse every hour (as does sometimes), or if she'd be crying and inconsolable. However, she did marvelously! She slept through both the women's and men's alumni game (although I'm sure she was still rooting for her daddy in her sleep). We ended up staying longer than we anticipated, which was nice being able to spend more time with friends.

CU alumni that played in the game on Saturday

Curt Fleck, Eric Leininger, Drew, Anthony Delimpo

On another note, Drew and I gave Jenna a bath yesterday after she spit up all over herself (and Drew). When I had her in the tub, she just looked so cute - I had to take some pictures!

And since the temperature got up in the 40's on Sunday we decided to take Jenna for a walk in her stroller. I've already decided that (Lord willing) we'll be having our next child during warmer months! It's so difficult being "trapped" inside and not being able to take her out on walks to get some fresh air. So anyway we decided to take advantage of the warm(er) weather. And, knowing me, I had to take pictures of our first walk with Jenna.

Jenna in her stroller ready to go

And here's one more picture of Jenna that I just love...