Punkin Bottom
It's one of our nicknames for our precious Jadyn. We took some pictures, one Saturday night at a party, and some just a few minutes ago, in her pumpkin outfit.

First Smile Pictures

Yes, I finally caught a few smiles on camera, and here they are for you to ooh and aah at.
















This outfit is just too adorable - especially the headband!

Showing Off a Gift

Paul's cousin (or some variation thereof) gave Jadyn this cute bib from Alaska.

Why I Love Pumping and Using Bottles:

My Sweet Towel Baby

I just love the way she's looking up at me with such a sweet look on her face.

Extreme Close-Ups

I took these while I was holding her. I know, they're blurry and not centered and pretty much terrible, but I love them.

Our Little Miracle

A friend of mine gave me this custom-made onesie for Jadyn, so I just had to take a picture of her in it. Isn't she adorable?

The Green Savior

See this thing? The sun rises and sets on this thing. The moon waxes and wanes on it. On this the tides turn and fortunes are made and lost. Or, at least you'd think so, considering the way Jadyn reacts if it's not around when she wants it.

Love/Hate

Things Jadyn Loves:

• Her pacifier
• Falling asleep while nuring
• Getting a bath
• Sticking her tongue out at her daddy
• Snuggling
• Spitting up on clean clothes (anyone's)
• Dirtying a fresh diaper on contact

Things Jadyn Hates:

• Losing her pacifier
• Being awakened while nursing
• Getting out of the bath
• Missing her daddy
• No snuggles when she wants them
• Having her clothes changed
• Getting lotion rubbed on her freshly cleaned bottom

Bath Time Baby

Here's my cute Towel Baby:















And here she is again, very unhappy that bathtime is over:

Getting bigger
Jadyn looks and feels like she's getting stronger and growing.
She's not yet ready to start working on calculus or even putting whole term papers together, but she's getting there.
OK, I know. She's just barely a month old.
But I want so much for her to succeed and do well.
Right now, she's just hanging out in her hooded towel after her Momma gave her a bath.
One step at a time I guess.

JADYN IS ONE MONTH OLD TODAY!!!

Wow, it's been a month already! Time sure has flown - except, of course, for the times when Jadyn is not willing to sleep or eat in the middle of the night. Those times drag on and on.
Anyway, here are a few photos I took today in honor of this milestone:




"You caught me!" Doesn't she look surprised? Of like I just said, "Freeze, hands in the air!" This outfit (complete with headband and baby mittens) was so cute I had to get a shot of it. Of course, as soon as I took the photo, she spat up on herself. Figures.





The weather is getting colder so she probably won't be able to wear this pretty party dress much, since it's a 0-3 month size. So I had to put her in it just to get a few pictures. She was getting sick of me changing her clothes by this time, and I think the dress was itching her. But she looks TOO cute, doesn't she?

In honor of her daddy's 38th birthday Jadyn is wearing a new onesie. This is because when I asked him a few months ago what he wanted for his birthday, he said, "A baby!" (It says Daddy's Little Princess.)
















We went out for a walk today, just Jadyn and I. It felt so surreal to be yanking the stroller out of the minivan at the park, just like all the other suburban mommies. Is this really me???

Sleepy Time Daddy

I caught this shot while Paul and Jadyn were snoozing together on the couch. Proof that they'd both had a long night. Isn't it so sweet?

Bath Photos

Here are a few pics from a recent bath time. This isn't her first bath, but it's the first one that occured when Paul was around to take pictures. Jadyn is still too squirmy for me to manage her and a camera at the same time.

Yes, I covered her itty bits for modesty's sake. And she loves bath time - she just isn't too wild about being wet and naked and NOT in the bath.

Isn't she just about the cutest thing you've ever
seen? I can't wait till she gets old enough to play with bath toys. That's going to be a blast!

Enjoyable fatigue
No, I haven't been the epitome of sunshine when Amanda asks me to get a bottle in the kitchen (on the other side of the house) at 2:30 a.m., or anything that's between 10 and 6 for that matter.
In fact, I'm having trouble holding my head up right now.
Nevertheless, I know I couldn't have had it better what - or rather who - showed up about three weeks ago.
I enjoy holding her so much and want the best for her, even when it doesn't seem possible to give it, at least not right now.
She's so amazing, and yet so simple. Her needs are feeding, changing, burping and holding and that's about as basic as it gets. I wonder much we actually grow out of when we grow older.

Jadyn's First Sunday at Church

Well, we finally made it to church. I figure I'm doing pretty good, getting there when she's only 3 weeks old. I must say, I have NEVER felt so popular as when I walked in the door. Of course, as soon as people saw me, they looked at Jadyn, which I completely expected. Most of the comments were "She's so TINY!" and "She's beautiful!" Now, I KNOW she's tiny - and we're working on that part. But I have to say that I have wondered if people say she's beautiful because that's what a mother expects to hear. I mean, I know she's beautiful, but are people just being nice? But a sweet friend said, "No, really, I mean it - I don't say it about every baby because some just aren't." So apparently she really is just as gorgeous as I think.

It was great to get out and see folks again. I think it's a step toward feeling like I'm back to being human. Sure, I'm still going to feel like a walking milk cow for a while, but that's to be expected. At least now I can be around other folks - especially mothers who know the feeling. Maybe next week I'll try to get to our local M.O.P.S. meeting and get in the mommy groove. :)

It's About Time!

I realized a few days ago that the only photos I had of me with Jadyn were from the day she was born, and since I looked as bad as I felt that day, I'm not letting those out in public. So since she was already dressed up to meet her "adopted Aunt BeBe", I decided to have Paul take a few shots of us together. Here are a few of my favorites from the bunch: