So much, and yet so little

It seems like the days just fly by, even though we aren't really *doing* anything. Aurora keeps changing and growing every day, and every day brings a new accomplishment. Lately she's been working really hard on rolling over and/or sitting up - anything to relieve the horrible boredom of lying on her back. Not that we leave her on her back much at all - she's usually up playing or walking around with us, or sitting in the Bumbo watching us eat (that Bumbo is a LIFESAVER - I don't know how parents didn't starve to death before it was invented!) But for the few minutes we lay her down, she's struggling mightily to get back up. It's so cute to watch her do her 'ab crunches' - she works so hard at it! And I predict that she'll be rolling over (back to tummy) any day now. She's also started to reach for her toys - next thing you know she'll be grabbing a hapless dog who wanders too near. And the laughing!! Oh my gosh - hearing her laugh is the best thing ever. Every day I discover a new tickle zone, and she just laughs her head off! And yesterday she and I went to Petsmart to pick up some more dog food, and she spent quite a few minutes eyeing the finches and parakeets in their cages. We might just have to get a bird or two for her when she's older (to go with the three dogs, six fish and one turtle) . And we're still working on tummy time - she's getting better at it, in fact if you put your hands behind her feet while she's on her tummy, she'll push off and scoot all the way across the floor! I guess we better start babyproofing the house now...
Aunt Doreen and Cousin Daria are coming to visit for Easter weekend, and she's really excited to show off all her new talents!

Baby's First Band Aids

Well, our little monkey got her first shots today... it was easier for her than it was for me! Luckily Mike was there to witness the torture so I didn't have to. And these aren't really baby's first band aids - she got her first one when Mike nearly amputated her thumb while cutting her fingernails when Grandma was here. And that was certainly a noteworthy event, too - I was just too traumatized to take pictures!

But she's over it now -

The rest of the doctor's appointment went great - she's now a whopping 13 lbs, 13 oz and 24.25" long. She's in the 95th percentile for weight and height, and the doc said she's "perfectly proportioned" - not that I'm bragging (much!) And she really wasn't too bothered by the shots - on the ride home she gave us more of her awesome laughs in the car. That made the whole trip worth it! Well, its 7:30 and she's telling me its time for her bath - talk to you later!

Just a quick update

Not too much to report right now... Grandma and Grandpa went back home to Indiana and we've been just hanging around the house ever since. Mike was on vacation all week and he got a TON of work done around the house (including finishing the bathroom! Hooray!) But now he's back at work on the midnight shift - meaning he goes to work at midnight and gets home in the morning. So we'll spend a few days adjusting to that new schedule, I'm sure. Anyway, here's a picture of Aurora in the cute onesie Aunt Lora got for her - and the big girl shorts I picked up at Target. Oh yeah, before I forget - she laughed out loud for the first time today! We were playing on the couch and she gave a bunch of really adorable belly laughs... so that's my new goal for every day, make her laugh as much as possible!

A few more pictures

Talking to G.G.Being a big girl

The secret to Tummy Time

Aren't they GREAT?

First off, Aurora's Great Aunt Monya (my aunt) sent her a Bumbo! And she absolutely LOVES it!! She can sit in it for a long time and watch the world around her - she holds her head up so well and it seems so sturdy and safe. We had some friends over for a little party last night, and she sat in it gossiping with Dolores and Kelley for quite a while!
(Click the pictures to see them bigger)She does get tired of all that strenuous head holding though -

But in bigger news, her GREAT Grandparents showed up today!! They came all the way from Indiana to see their baby, and she loved them at first sight. She and GG (Great Grandma) had a nice long chat - and then she spent some time with Grandpa too - And then she took a ride in the backpack they brought for her - she and daddy both like it a lot!And then she was tuckered out and fell asleep in G.G.'s arms.

I can't wait to see what adventures await tomorrow!

She's got personality!

Things Aurora likes:

Spa treatments

Dancing to the classics

Singing to Pooh and his friends

Talking to the family

Play Time

Things Aurora hates:

Sitting Still

Bottles

Tummy Time

At least the list of likes is longer than the list of dislikes - all in all, Aurora is a very happy baby! She sleeps well and wakes up in such a good mood every morning... She may just turn her mother into a morning person after all! And really sometimes she likes Tummy Time, and she's really good at holding her head up for long periods of time, but she gets frustrated and annoyed with it pretty easily. But we're working on it. She's got such good neck strength I'm thinking of getting her a Bumbo so she can sit up and interact more with us. And even though she would much prefer to get her milk straight from the source, she will reluctantly take a bottle. I'm working on that, as well - it would be nice for Dad to be able to feed her once in a while!

Not much else going on around here..Mike's on recruitment duty again this weekend. This time its Midnight At the Oasis - a classic car show and festival. Rick Springfield is the headliner this year, so I *might* try taking Aurora out in public again Saturday night if the wind dies down and it warms up a little here. But then again, maybe I won't. We're trying so hard to keep a routine I hate to potentially disrupt it like that. But of course, we can't stay trapped in the house forever! So we'll see. These are the riveting decisions of my life these days!

Thank you!

It's been a couple of days since I posted, but really not much has happened around here! We've got our routine of waking up, playing, eating, napping, playing, eating, napping, bathtime and bedtime pretty much in place and that's all we've been up to. Of course throw in about a thousand diaper changes a day, too! I just wanted to write a quick note to thank everyone for all the sweet comments here on the blog. Even if I don't respond directly to you (which I should, and I will - one day!), I read each note and it really makes my day to know that you are all out there keeping up with our little girl's progress. She's really lucky to have such a loving bunch of family and friends!

The photos are online!

You can see low resolution versions of all our photos at my flickr site - if you would like to order any extras let me know and I'll give you the login information. I should have the actual prints next week and I'll be sending out copies to friends and family shortly thereafter!

Dad Feels Bad

One of the less desirable perks of Mike's job is his unceasing exposure to all kinds of diseases and germs. Well, he's managed to bring home the cold virus du jour, so we're just laying low and trying to keep me and Aurora from getting it. He's not allowed to hold her, touch her, or even be too near her - but he was allowed to take pictures during bath time yesterday.

One month today

Hard to believe, but Aurora Jane is one month old today! We celebrated by driving to El Centro and returning some things to Kmart since there isn't one in Yuma. Then we came home and napped most of the day away! Here's her one month old picture:

The photo shoot yesterday went really well - we got some insanely cute pictures, if I do say so myself! They should be online within 14 business days and I'll be sure to link to them here.