singing & making melodies in her heart...

jason has been working with millie on her hand-eye coordination, making sure that she'll be ready for t-ball when the time comes. it looks like his hard work might be starting to pay off...

a family affair.

we decided to have a friend of ours come over to shoot some pictures of millie. we've got plenty of her by herself, but no shots of the three of us together since she was born. we tried our hardest to capture some of her flashy smiles... no such luck! nothing erases the joy from her face faster than a big black camera - she's not a fan. i guess you'll just have to experience her sweet little smiles in person...

rollin', rollin', rollin'...

millie doesn't exactly enjoy being on her tummy... usually after about ten seconds she starts to voice her discontent. at her last check-up the doctor stressed how important it is that she has regular 'tummy time' every day for a minimum of twenty minutes. i was not about to confess that on most days we rarely make it past a minute or two. as she examined her, she praised millie's strong back and neck muscles... evidence that all of that tummy time was paying off. be sure to keep it up! i just smiled & nodded...

she actually was on her belly a couple of days ago. she was checking herself out in the mirror and making faces at herself'. it was prettty cute so i grabbed the camera. i wish that it would have been the video camera instead of the digital because she rolled herself over for the first time! i don't know which one of us was more surprised...

it may have just been a fluke because she hasn't done it again since. i've tried to entice her, but to no avail. toys don't seem to work and jake ate that mirror yesterday...

i have something really important to tell you!

she talks and talks and talks and talks....and talks. all day long. millie loves to hear the sound of her own voice!

what exactly is a paddycake?

millie doesn't seem to care... she likes it!

in the beginning...month three

there is nothing fun about the month of march in chicago. cold, slushy & grey. it was the perfect time to get out of the city and head for sunshine. i desperately needed to have my windows open and to take a walk... millie and i had been cooped up long enough. we were able to pack up the entire family (jake & bako too!) and head for arizona. cubs spring training was the perfect excuse to get out of dodge...

clearly, millie loved the sunshine too. our own little audrey hepburn. 

 total class.

st patricks day isn't quite the same in arizona... all of the chicago crazies have a special way of turning it into one of the best days of the entire year. thankfully auntie crystal was there to bring green beer (not any for millie quite yet) and a little bit of irish festivity to the desert. i tried to get her into the spirit... she didn't seem to enjoy the day as much as we did!

amelia hearts mobiles and ceiling fans. she looks up in sheer delight, every time, like it's the first time she's ever seen one. we ended up buying a portable mobile to attach to her car seat (she must be the ONE baby in the world who doesn't love the car. lots of screaming!). she'll put herself in a little trance watching the bugs go around...and around...and around...and around....

a few days ago jason was talking about how much fun he has spending time with millie. he loves to babysit. i had to explain that since millie is actually his child, he's not babysitting... it's called parenting. :) i think she definitely knows that he's not just a babysitter - she absolutely lights up for him.

despite my best efforts, millie didn't ever really like her pacifier. once in awhile she'd take it, but usually she would spit it out pretty forcefully unless we held it in her mouth for her (which got old really quickly). then last week, out of nowhere, she stuffed her thumb into her mouth and started going to town. she's already a pro! whenever she's tired or fussy she'll find her thumb and go right to sleep. it's the best. thing. ever. (even better than soothie the seahorse...)

i am fully aware that my little girl looks just like her dad. i'm hoping to get at least one trait as she starts to grow up... a blonde hair or two? blue eyes?

in the beginning... month two.

jason started playing 'stick out your tongue' with millie right after she came home from the hospital. she doesn't always play back, but every once in awhile she'll watch your mouth and stick her tongue out back at you. olivia is a big fan... she'll keep playing until she gets results!

i wasn't exactly quiet about how tough those first weeks were with a new baby. people kept telling us to hang in there, that we would see huge changes in millie once she hit six weeks. sure enough... six weeks exactly. it was almost like she woke up and realized that there was a big world happening around her. she isn't mesmerized by mirrors like some babies are, but once in awhile she'll 'stumble' upon her own face - she's clearly happy with what she sees!

soothie the pink seahorse is our friend. a girlfriend introduced me to him... millie is a big fan. his tummy lights up and he plays soft music that gradually fades out. usually (fingers crossed!) she's asleep by the time his music stops. if i could extend his music cycle by about three minutes he would be the perfect pink seahorse. it's quite possible that i'm a bigger fan of soothie than millie is.


millie was not exactly happy about her first trip to the nursing home, but she was really happy to meet bubbie! lots of kisses... and bubbie telling her that she was going to spank her little ass if she didn't stop crying. it's rare to have multiple generations together in the same room - we are so glad that we'll be able to tell millie about the first time that she met one of her great-grandparents.

according to the medical charts, amelia is an over-achiever already. she's a big girl - measuring in the top 75% for her weight and 90% for her height. her doctor said that you can't really determine much of anything about her genetic makeup until she's two... it's too soon to tell if our little girl is going to tower over her parents. if she keeps growing at rate she's going now, with her little feet trying to bust out of her sleepers, we might have a giant on our hands!

in the beginning... month one.

amelia harper caref

january 14, 2o1o   7lbs 11oz   20 in

millie was born a cubs fan. and a bears fan. and a bulls fan. and a blackhawks fan. the carefs are chicago sports fans by necessity! i've explained to her that where she goes to college will depend on how deep the cubs can go in the post-season. we've got eighteen years before harvard or yale will be looking for her tuition check... we need a world series!

most of our time in the hospital was spent waiting for millie to come out and join us! those first hours and days were a complete blur. this was taken right before they sent us on our way. jason and i were way too happy to be tired... yet.

a new baby in the house has been an adjustment for everyone. jake and bako were a little confused about what we were bringing home from the hospital. saying that they were obsessed would be an understatement.... they would not leave millie alone. jason thought that bako was simply trying to show her how much he loved her, but i'm more inclined to think that he was plotting her demise. they love her now... slobbering all over her face and snuggling up next to her crib.

 

 millie doesn't just smile for everyone. i like to think that she's saving them up for the people who she really loves (since i'm the recipient of lots of them!). she spends a lot of time with a furrowed brow and a little scowl on her face - clearly occupied by very important thoughts... a wet diaper, food, the ceiling fan perhaps? i love this little pensive face.

a little game of catch-up...

i intended to create a blog for millie just after she was born, but...
we're getting a late start.

i'm starting to think that i should have that printed on my forehead! everything, absolutely everything, seems to take so much longer since amelia joined our little family. we were already a little bit challenged in our 'promptness' before we had a baby - it is now officially out of control.

we've had a blast with miss millie during the last three months. i'm not trying to say that it's all been smiles and giggles (there have been some tough days), but we have both really enjoyed getting to know our little girl! i knew that we would love her, but i didn't expect that i would like her so much. she's curious & stubborn - only smiling when she really means it. i can't imagine our world without her.

this is my first blog attempt... don't expect too many bells and whistles! no promises that i'll be able to keep up with her - but i'm going to try! i'll post a few of the big highlights from the last three months to bring everyone up to speed. feel free to pass this link along to anyone who might want to follow the exploits of our sweet baby girl. xoxo