MY FIRST CHRISTMAS

As Christmas approaches, M&D have been busy getting ready for visitors and wrapping presents. We started off the festivities by taking a family Christmas picture. We set up the camera in the living room and shot lots of pictures. We even got to take some with Olive and Isis!

Family Portait

Of course, my solo shots turned out the best...

Showing off my new Christmas outfit

While M&D have been busy with all the Christmas preparations, I've focused on growing. I've been getting better at holding my head up. I used to have very little head control, but over the past week I've become a full time bobble head. When M&D hold me up, my head wobbles back and forth and back and forth until I get tired and let it rest on their shoulder. I've also started playing in my gym. I like to look at the toys hanging above me. I like to look at them waving around when I kick them or knock them with my arms by accident. Sometimes M&D attach a mirror to the top of the gym so that I can stare at my reflection.

Working out in the gym

Napping after a gym workout

Christmas weekend finally arrived and along with it came lots of visitors, some familiar faces and lots of new ones! I'd already met my great Aunt Judy a couple weeks before Christmas when she arrived from her house in Florida. The Friday before Christmas, I met my cousins Helene and Philip who flew in from Norway. They ate dinner with us and enjoyed looking at all of the renovations to the house. On Saturday, I got to meet lots of my neighbors when I attended my first party, a Christmas themed block party. There are lots of kids close to my age on our block. I can't wait to play with when I get a little older.

Hanging out at Great Gramps' house

On Sunday, Mimi and Papa arrived from Lake Forest. Even though I had seen them at Thanksgiving, they said that I'd changed a lot. They were most impressed by my smiles. On Monday morning I met the tallest person I've met so far, my cousin Simen. After breakfast, we all drove up to Great Gramp's house in Temple where I met two more people: Great Gramps and my great uncle Arne. With everyone gathered, we were able to start Christmas. There was lots of activity, and I enjoyed all the attention. We even got to skype with Aunt Julie, Uncle Andy and my cousins Cora and Adam. After dinner we finally got to open gifts. I got lots of new clothes and toys that I'll get to wear and explore in the coming months.

On Christmas morning we ate a leisurely breakfast and spent time relaxing and sharing stories. Before we left, we took another family portrait. I hope that some day I'll get to visit all my releatives in Norway!

Cousin Philip holds me for the first time

Family Portrait
Back Row: Simen, Helene, Daddy, Me, Mommie, Philip
Front Row: Arne, Judy, Great Gramps, Mimi, Papa

Funny Faces

Over Thanksgiving, I started expressing myself to the world. M&D were thrilled to see me start smiling and responding to their voices. Here is a sampling of my favorite expressions:

Who's a cutie?

I'm a cutie!

Hmmm...

Whistle while you work!  

My Elvis impersonation

Sooooo sleeeepy...

BIG SMILES 

What're you looking at? 

Meeee! I'm a cutie!

MY FIRST THANKSGIVING

Gobble, gobble, gobble!!! It's my first Thanksgiving!

Aunts Christy and Jennifer doting on me

Daddy took off the entire Thanksgiving week so that we could maximize our holiday and travel to Nana and Papaw's house in College Station. It all started with the arrival of Aunts Christy and Jennifer and Uncle Wills on Saturday night. This was our first time to meet in person, and they made up for lost time giving me lots of cuddles. Many newborns may have shied away from all the attention, but I reveled in it. Originally, we were going to head to College Station on Sunday, but I had a spa treatment doctor's appointment on Monday morning. At my two week well check, I had been underweight, so the doctor wanted to check me again to see if I was gaining weight properly before heading out of town for Turkey Day. I still wasn't heavy enough, but I was at least on the right track. He gave me permission to head to College Station so long as I continued my regular feedings every two hours night and day. I'd been trying to tell M&D to feed me more since week one, but it took a doctor's orders to get it sorted out. If only I had words instead of cries! Even so, with the doctor's blessing, we were able to head to College Station on Monday afternoon as planned.

Morning time with Aunt Jennifer and Nana

Once in College Station we had a lot of time to feed, relax, feed, enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, feed, play with Olive and Uncle Corky, feed, catch up on sleep, feed, watch movies, feed, catch up on the family gossip, feed, cuddle, feed, play games, feed, try on all my new outfits, feed, watch football, feed, take pictues, feed, eat, feed, and feed.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time feeding in an effort to get back to the correct weight.

Cuddles with Mommie

On Friday afternoon, I got to meet some more people for the first time: Mimi and Papa! They had flown down to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with Great-Gramps in Temple. Since they were so close, they decided to make the short drive to College Station for some cuddles, feedings, and pictures. I'd already been showered with gifts from everyone, and they chipped in with more cute baby necessities to help me accessorize my nursery, such as a paper butterfly mobile.

Cuddles with Mimi

Posing with Papa

With everyone at the same place, we decided to take some family photographs. Since it was so warm, we decided to do them outside on the front porch. We took lots of pictures trying to get one with everyone's eyes open and me not falling asleep. I was so exhausted from all the attention...and feeding...

Family Portrait
Back Row: Papaw, Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Wills, Daddy, Aunt Christy,  Papa
Front Row: Nana, Mommie, Saige, Mimi

Mommie, Daddy, and Me

After filling the camera with pictures, we enjoyed a feast of Thanksgiving leftovers: turkey, spinach Madeline, rosemary sweet potato gratin, cranberry sauce, and a medley of pies (pumpkin, pecan, and minced meat). After we ate, we looked over all of the pictures we'd taken on the front porch. We all had a good laugh at the funny faces that were captured on camera. Mimi and Papa headed back to Temple that day, but that didn't mean the end of the trip. I still had two days to enjoy cuddles in College Station:

The Turkey Day Cuddle Squad

Uncle Wills shows everyone how it's done

Super close cuddles

Some of my clothes are still a little too big...

Saturday morning brought in a blast of cold weather, but it didn't slow me down. After a relaxing morning, we headed out to do some shopping. I got some quintessential Aggie gear while Mommie got a long sleeved Aggie shirt to get ready for the football game that night. I told M&D that I'd give them the night off to have their first date since I was born. I'd convinced everyone else to take care of me while they went to the football game. M&D are lucky that I was able to use my cuteness to charm my cuddle squad into some baby sitting action for a few hours.

The week flew by, and before I knew it, we were headed back to Austin for one last night before my Aunts and Uncle had to leave.

Hanging with the fam

Cuddle time

Horray for turkey day!

The First Few Weeks

Spending time in my pack and play's life nest.

I went home from the hospital for the first time on Saturday afternoon after just a day and a half in the hospital. Mommie and Daddy (M&D) were excited to show me my nursery, house, and neighborhood. There are lots of places for me to hang out in my new house. I have my pack and play in M&D's bedroom where I am supposed to sleep at night. It's been upgraded with a fancy life nest which has a mesh hammock to help me breathe. M&D think it's a great place for me to sleep, but I prefer to sleep in the swing beside the bed. It rocks me to sleep...sometimes. Usually I insist that M or D rock me to sleep first.

I spend a fair amount of time on my changing table. It's in my nursery and has a cute picture of a giraffe and elephant. I like the attention I get when I'm on the table and am not usually too fussy. Sometimes I get a little too excited and make a bit of a mess. Isn't that what the changing table is for?

Nana changing my diaper

Very soon after I got home, M&D introduced me to my doggie Olive and my kitty cat Isis. Before meeting me, each of them got a hat that I'd worn in the hospital so that they could familiarize themselves with my scent. Olive was very curious to meet me and tended to bark at me when I ignored her. After a few time outs in the bathroom, she started behaving. She's been patient with me and possibly my biggest fan. Sometimes when I get lonely in my pack and play, she comes to check on me before Mommie or Daddy get there. She also sniffs me a lot during the day, but she's learned that I don't like wet doggie nose in my face. Sometimes she even keeps my nap nanny warm when I'm not there. Although, M&D seem to prefer when she sleeps on one of her own beds. I think she's excited to play with me once I start crawling.

Posing in Mommie's arms

Aside from the daily routine of feeding, sleeping, and pooping, I spend a lot of time posing for pictures! Here's a sample of my favorite ones:

Our first family photo. Say Saaaaaiiiige!

Posing on the changing table

What's Olive doing while all this posing is happening?

Saige is so cute that no one is watching me...

Oh look, a nice box of chocolate covered strawberries. Maybe I'll try one...

Or all of them!!! Thank you Saige!!!

Nana holding me

That silly Olive! I imagine that we'll have lot of fun causing trouble playing with each other in the future. The first week that I was home Nana stayed with us. She was super helpful cooking for M&D, cleaning up the house (which is apparently under construction with an addition and remodel), and most importantly holding me as much as she could. Papaw returned to Austin to pick up Nana the weekend after I came home. I'll miss them, but M&D told me that I'll get to see them soon for Thanksgiving.

Papaw holding me

After two weeks at home, M&D decided that it was time to give me my first bath at home. Mommie had found a big padded sunflower so that I could bathe in the kitchen sink.

Throwing my right hand in the air.

Me in the sink.

I was very well behaved in the bath. The warm water felt good, and it was nice to get rid of the last remnants of vernix. M&D said that I'll get to take a bath once a week in the sink until I'm big enough to fit in my green rain forest themed bath tub.

I love bath time!

At night time I like to cuddle with M&D on the couch. It's so comforting to sleep on a chest listening to a heartbeat. Once I've eaten for the last time, I move to the bedroom and sleep in my swing while listening to the soothing sounds of either the ocean waves or the rain falling lightly.

A Busy First Day

My first day on Earth was very, very busy. It all started with a flurry of activity: getting my umbilical cord snipped, taking the APGAR test (which I passed! twice!), getting toweled off, and posing for Daddy's pictures. I cried joyfully the entire time until Daddy finally delivered me to Mommie where I snuggled into her bosom. 

The three of us shared some quiet moments together while Mommie and Daddy decided on my name. They had come to the hospital with three picked out, but Saige is the one that fit me best. We were all exhausted after the delivery, but we took some time to eat some food before getting a couple hours of sleep. I got to sleep in the room with my parents. Daddy looked silly sleeping on the fold out couch!

After a not so restful two hours, the sun came up and it was time to meet my family. Nana and Papaw, Mommies parents, had driven up from College Station to see me. They held me a lot and couldn't stop smiling. I skyped for the first time with my Aunts Jennifer and Christy as well as my Uncle Wills.

 

Daddy and Mommie spent a lot of time talking with people on the phone announcing my arrival. I can't wait to meet all these wonderful folks!