0 to Mom...Parenting at the Speed of Life

Bouncing Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Spoiled Baby got to experience BOUNCING for the first time yesterday, and boy was that fun! We went to my Goddaughter's 6th birthday party, which was at a neat little place called BounceU.

At first, Spoiled Baby wasn't too sure about this whole bouncing thing...and she DEFINITELY didn't want to bounce unless Mama or Daddy was holding her.

But then she started to have fun. And so did we! About an hour of bouncing was just the trick to get smiles on her face.

After that, we moved onto the mini basketball hoop - great fun with Daddy!

And then...she found the MINI SLIDE! A little baby slide that she could go down that wasn't so big as to frighten her, like most other slides. And so we went again, and again, and again. FUN!

All in all, a fun time.

How was your weekend?

Mama, Dada

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Spoiled Baby is doing great with picking up new syllables and is even doing well at associating those sounds with people and objects.

Dada is uttered a lot...baby girl just loves her daddy to pieces.

And the good news is that she's now saying "mama" a lot, as well. The bad news end of that? She says "dada" when she's happy, "mama" when she's whiny.

How the heck did that association happen?

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:29:00 +0000

"Minnie" had a blast trick-or-treating at my office yesterday and was just the belle of the ball! Hope you have a great Halloween with your little ones!

GO PHILLIES!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Chucky Cheese is COOL

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Ok, so Spoiled Baby loves her some Chucky Cheese! We had a bunch of coins left after going there with her cousin Z back in September, so we ventured out to face the craziness again today. LOVE IT!

Random Crying

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Do any of you have kiddos that just randomly cry when you leave the room? For about the past month or so, Spoiled Baby, even if she's happy as a clam when we're in the room with her, turns into a whiny, spoiled baby whenever we walk out the door. It used to be great to plop her in her room to play with her toys so we could get stuff done around the house. Now, her crying provides the soundtrack to our chores.

What the heck!?!?

First Birthday PARTY!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

We had a fun-filled first birthday party for Catherine and were thrilled to get to spend it with family and friends. Our niece, Julia, even flew down from Canada to share in the big weekend, as well as to see her dad (Spoiled Baby's Uncle) for his birthday.

Not to be greedy, but the best part of the party was the presents. Not necessarily because of what the presents even were, necessarily. But because we did presents by committee. All of Cate's little friends and cousins wanted to help...and so instead of one child opening multiple presents, we had a half dozen children (all under the age of 3) turn our living room into a ticker tape parade. GREAT fun!!

After that, it was time for cake! We're in "saving money" mode, so I baked cupcakes for party guests, and then made a custom cake for Spoiled Baby. What do you think? For my first real attempt at artistry, I think it came out ok!

Catherine was too cute. We stripped her naked, because, well, every other child on the planet ends up covered in icing while digging into their first birthday cakes.

Not MY child! She leaned forward daintily, and nibbled a piece off the edge. When we tried to put her hand in/on the cake, it went right back to her mouth to get licked off.

I guess I'm raising a neat freak - but she sure is darn cute!

On Your First Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Dear Catherine,

I remember the first time we knew when you were on the way. I remember the first time we saw you on a sonogram, and then later on when a later sonogram revealed your cute face. I remember the first time you kicked me - and then never stopped. And I remember the first time I got to hold you in my arms.

After that, the cuddles, smiles, and every single newly-learned trick have made me happier and happier.

It's been a wonderful year as your mommy, Catherine. Thank you for being the smartest, cutest, funniest, and just absolute best baby in the world.

I love you.

Mommy

Garage Sales and Baseball

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Baby had two firsts today!

Early this morning, she and I arrived at her Aunt P's house to set up for a garage sale. Great funny, good money made, and lots of junk gone.

Then...we headed to the Ranger's Ballpark for Spoiled Baby's first ever baseball game. Now...you know I wish her first game could have been with the Phillies. But this was still a fantasically fun time!!! Baby could actually have cared less that we were at a game, but she was in people watching HEAVEN!

How are you doing this weekend?

Back from Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Hi, folks!

Well, things are still crazy. But...I guess they always will be. So rather than wallowing in that, time to refocus on the good parts of life! I will probably not be posting a ton over the next couple months, but the goal is to get ramped back up to more regular posting by the holidays.

Thanks for your patience and for continuing to visit me here at 0 to Mom!

Blog Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:38:00 +0000

Hi, folks!

Life is a bit crazy right now. I know, I know, that's always been my complaint. But right now, it's just...well...in overdrive. If you live in the DFW area, you've probably already heard some of the hoopla around the Rainbow Lounge. Well, that nonsense has overtaken my life. To read a GREAT account that fires back at the hysteria, check out Restoring Reason.

I'm going to take a bit of a break from blogging for the next month or two, until life in general calms down. I may put up a post here or there, but otherwise, see you back here at 0 to Mom early this fall!

Love,

Tiffany

Funny Things Kids Do

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:04:00 +0000

Spoiled Baby's cousin is here, visiting for a few days.

I'm down with a huge migraine, so the hubby asked the nephew to cook me dinner: hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.

Nephew just wandered in with a puzzled expression and asked me where we keep the hot dogs.

Cute. Totally cute. And he was totally earnest. Poor kid!

Too Long for a Nap?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:20:00 +0000

So I came home from work last night and was so exhausted that I crawled into bed to cuddle with Spoiled Baby ... and woke up 15 hours later.

So, uh, is that too long to call it a nap?

The Funny Thing About Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:16:00 +0000

My child, fondly known as Spoiled Baby, has more toys than any other child on the planet. I'm serious. We've bought her a ton, she's been given a ton, she has most of mine from childhood, plus she's got hand-me-downs from other relatives and friends.

And yet...

And yet...

She prefers to play with my cell phone and shoes.

Oy!

Travels with Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:54:00 +0000

You might remember my post from late March when I lamented knowing what to pack for our first trip with baby.

Well...we basically ended up taking everything but the kitchen sink. My poor husband...I was in charge of baby, baby carriage/car seat, baby bag, purse, and 1 other bag. He schlepped the rest.

Today, as I'm traveling for work all by my itty bitty self, I'm left thinking about how we will do things differently in our next trip, which will be later this month or early June. Here is some of what I learned:

I don't need 2 outfits for every day of the trip. There are washing machines even in Pennsylvania.
I don't need to take enough food/juice for the entire trip. I need enough to travel with, and the rest can be bought/made there. That alone ought to save LOTS of room.
I don't need enough bottles and spoons and bowls for a week. Texas isn't the only state with running water.
I don't need 20 different baby toys. Baby doesn't notice if she has to play with the same, say, 4-5 toys over and over again.

I'm hoping to eliminate at least one carry-on and one checked bag for our next trip...and then when we go camping in Idaho in July, I hope to make do with just 2 checked bags and 2 carry-ons.

What travel-with-baby tips have you learned along the way that you'd like to share?

Shout Out to Lansinoh

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:40:00 +0000

As a nursing mom who works full time, an absolute essential in my life is my breastpump. Without it, I'd swell up like a balloon and baby wouldn't get fed.

Over at "How to Have a Baby," I've written of some of my initial struggles to get a breastpump that really worked for me. My Lansinoh double electric was my third option. (The expensive Medela pump I had at first was a total failure for me. Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.)

So when my pump crapped out earlier this week, I panicked. My budget doesn't include buying a new one. But I need one. And then I remembered...the warranty.

I got on the phone to Lansinoh, and the line was ANSWERED by a REAL PERSON on the second ring. I was almost too shocked to respond to her cheery hello.

After a painless 5-minute phone call, I had a return number, and was promised that if I overnighted the broken unit to them, they'd overnight a new unit to me in return and I'd be back in business. Off to Fed Ex I went (thank GOD for my work discount) and off the broken pump went.

Yesterday afternoon, my new pump arrived. Not only is it a new pump, it's their new design. (My old one was purchased a month before their new design went out.) And it works like a charm.

Many, many, many props to Lansinoh for their awesome customer service. I only had to "make do" with my old pump for 2 days before moving back to a much preferred format.

I cannot say enough good things about this company.

YAY for Lansinoh!

On Sleep and Exhaustion

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:20:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure that every friend that I have who has children has managed to find a way to tell me over the last few months that their child/children slept through the night by the time they were 3/4/5/6 months old.

So here I am, with a six month old. Almost 7 months old, really. Not sleeping through the night. Still up 1/2/3 times. Completely inconsistent bed times. Completely inconsistent nap times. Completely inconsistent get up times. We've tried to do the same things at the same times every day...and we've been consistent in trying.

Side note...if you know me, you know how type A I am. Trust me when I say that we've tried and tried and tried and tried.

In any case, if she's not ready to get up or go down, she completely resists. Like we're talking flat out fits. Screaming, shaking.

So she ends up going to sleep at night, napping, and getting up in the morning when she wants, resisting all scheduling attempts.

And naps for *maybe* 45 minutes at a time. Sometimes stays down for up to 4 hours at a stretch at night...but sometimes half that or less.

I'm feeling a little frustrated. Anyone have any advice to offer?

Mystery Mouseketool

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Anyone watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with their kiddos? I had a post up on my Twitter earlier today musing that, just once, I wish that the mystery mouseketool was a taser.

Anyone ever have that wish?

How about an electrified collar? Maybe an EASY button, since Mickey et al would be totally screwed without the Handy Helpers.

I wonder about the lessons this show teaches, quite honestly. I took along some DVDs of Mickey episodes when we went to my mom's house earlier this month, and she remarked that they don't seem as, ah, challenging as the Mickey of 20 years ago.

It just seems that some curious episodes are aired. Like the one with Donald and the Beanstalk. He gave away his chicken. Then stole it back. Um, are we really teaching our kiddos to steal?

Ok, so I'm being a little tongue in cheek here, but really, to get back to my main point, it's time to taser Mickey! (And time for our household to find new kids shows to watch!)

What's your favorite show to watch with your kiddos?

Baby Travels...Baby Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:13:00 +0000

I travel a lot - both for work and pleasure. I was out of state, on average, twice a month in 2008. I didn't even go anywhere the last 4 months, between the end of my pregnancy and my maternity leave, and my travels still average to two trips per month.

My husband is no stranger to traveling, either. Both within the state and heading elsewhere, he's often driving or flying somewhere himself.

What I'm trying to say, here, is that we're both very much used to packing up and heading out.

On Friday, we're flying out (at 0-dark-30, by the way!) to Pennsylvania, where we'll visit with my mother for the next ten days. (An example from my travel schedule - we fly back to Texas on the 13th and I get on another plane to SJC for the day on the 14th.) We're good at packing; we're good at planning; we're great at traveling.

But preparing to take the kiddo away for 10 days is seriously wrecking my brain.

My first packing list included EVERY item of baby stuff that in my house.

Which is a lot.

Including stuff she's already outgrown.

Ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get my point!

My second packing list feels way too short, but still includes EVERY bottle we own, and enough toys and blankets to start an orphanage.

I'm not sure if it's the prospect of traveling with the baby that has me stressed, or if it's the fact that we're going to be gone for so darn long.

But I'm struggling, here!

How did you prepare for your kiddo's first big trip? I'd love to hear ideas from other moms!

Move Over, Bananas!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:26:00 +0000

I *thought* we'd already found Spoiled Baby's favorite food - bananas. When she eats bananas, she smacks her lips and she patiently waits for the next spoonful of goodness. (This is as opposed to peas, which causes nasty faces, nasty looks, and nasty gagging.)

But today...oh, today! Today, we found her REAL favorite food!

PEARS!

Normally, the kiddo will have between 1/4 and 1/3 of a bottle of baby food in one sitting. We use 2nd foods, because the bigger bottles are a cheaper price per ounce...and we're only using bottled foods until we identify her likes/dislikes and then we'll begin making our own. She'll then follow up the 1/4 to 1/3 bottle of food with 3-5 ounces of milk.

Not today. No, sir! She ate the ENTIRE bottle of pears.

I originally portioned out 1/4 of the bottle. With the first mouthful, her eyes lit up. With the second, she fussed impatiently for the next spoonful. By the third, she was actively reaching for my hand, to get the spoon to her mouth faster.

When her original portion was done, I tried to start her on her bottle of milk. NO GO! Wouldn't even entertain the thought. The spoon was on the tray in front of her, and in one fluid motion, she knocked the bottle out of her way and leaned forward to grab for the spoon.

So I portioned out another 1/4 bottle. Gone. Another portion. Gone. Another portion - the remains of the bottle. You guessed it! Gone.

After that, she reluctantly took her bottle and polished off a few ounces. But she kept sending hopeful glances at the bowl and spoon all the while.

Move over, bananas! Spoiled Baby needs her PEARS!

Let's PARTY!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

THIS POST IS STICKY...SCROLL DOWN TO READ NEW CONTENT! MWAH!

I'm participating in the Ultimate Blog Party sponsored by 5 Minutes for Mom, and I invite you to join in as well!

Running from March 20th until March 27th, it's a fabulous way to meet new bloggers, follow new Tweeters, win great prizes and just have a blast.

Here's a list of the prizes that most interest me - what ones are you hoping to win?

#3 - $25 GC to Happy Panda
#10 - Book - Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK!
#19 - $50 GC to Target (I love me some Target!)
#41 - Photo jewelry
#88 - Carraba's GC
#98 - Internet Organizer and Toddler Cookbook
#129 - ListPlanIt
USC15 - Amazon GC
USC 33 - Turbo Mom
USC 66 - Madre Gear

Welcome, fellow party-ers - I look forward to coming to see you!

Travelin' Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Traveling for business when you have a baby back home isn't the easiest proposition in the world, is it? Typically, I travel on Tuesdays, once or twice a month, and am only gone for the day - not even overnight. It's a long day, granted, totaling around 15 or 16 hours away from home, but since Tuesday is one of my husband's days off, he's home with the baby.

Not this week!

This week, Funny Daddy had an important meeting that he had to attend in Knoxville, Tennessee on Tuesday. And...that made Frazzled Mom even more...frazzled...because she had an important meeting to attend in San Jose, California. Which meant that both of us had to leave Spoiled Baby for about 15 hours. Yikes!

Luckily, my husband's aunt stepped in and took over baby duty for the day. Since she cares for her grandson, also, it was a great opportunity for Spoiled Baby to spend time with her cousin, who is only a year older than she is. And what a great day they had! Apparently, there was lots of cuddles and Spoiled Baby even inspired her cousin's first words - a derivative of her name!

By some miracle, our flights left and came back around the same time, so Funny Daddy and I were able to drive to the airport and back together. When we went to pick up Spoiled Baby, she and her cousin were both cuddled together on the rocking chair with his aunt, watching Mickey Mouse. All looked tired...but happy.

And we were all happy to get home, and go curl up in bed as a family to enjoy the snuggle time we'd missed out on during the day. Long day...long travel...but glad to be back home!

How to you handle traveling when you have kiddos back home?

Christening Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

It's a big day for our little girl - she will be baptized during the 11 o'clock service at our church today! Two of our friends - Danielle and Timo - have honored us by agreeing to become her Godparents. Catherine will be wearing the baptism slip, dress and jacket that I wore in December 2008 when I was baptized - I think that's so neat! I'll have pictures up soon, and will resume my letters to Catherine tomorrow morning!

For now, we're buzzing around the house doing a bit of last minute picking up (a few friends and family members will be joining us to celebrate this afternoon) and then getting ourselves and the baby ready to be out the door to the church!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Dear Catherine, Weeks 5-9

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Catch up by reading Dear Catherine, Weeks 1-4 and the Baby Bunny Birth Story.

Dear Catherine,

The second four weeks of your life (November 6 - December 3) included fun times with family and friends, and lots of firsts!

In early November, we finally began to settle into a new routine with you - you were sleeping in consistent 2.5-3 hour stretches and your Mommy and Daddy were figuring out how to keep up with household "stuff." Daddy went back to work after having taking about 3 weeks off, and so you and Mommy got a lot of alone time together. That gave me the opportunity to dress you up and take cute pictures that you slept through!

Catherine, you and I attended a very special event on November 15th. Early that morning, we bundled up and headed for the Dallas Zoo, where we took part in the Alzheimer's Walk in memory of Poppa - your grandfather and my father. Because you missed getting to meet him by only 2 months since he passed away in August 2008, it was extremely important for me to involve you in the walk with me. Because you were so bundled up and in your carrier, it was hard for me to get a good picture of you at the walk, so I posed you by one of the statues at the end. I look forward to telling you all about your Poppa as you grow older.

Even though it was hard to get a good picture at the Zoo, your Daddy and I posed you for about a million pictures that afternoon when we got home. I happen to think that this Pooh outfit is the cutest of your early outfits and I dressed you in it as often as I could for as long as it fit! Even Audrey, one of our kitty cats, thought that you were cuter than cute in this ensemble. In this picture, you're propped up in the Bumbo, where you love sitting, which is then propped into a little rocking chair that was mine and is now yours.

The day after we participated in the Alzheimer's Walk in memory of one of your grandfathers, your other grandfather and your step-grandmother arrived at our house to spend a couple weeks around Thanksgiving. Grandpa and Grandma Aller just fell in love with you from the first moment they set their eyes on you! Over the next few weeks, we enjoyed a fun time together, and spoiled the heck out of you. We spent a lot of time working in the yard and on projects in the house, and had many enjoyable evenings just hanging out together.

Don't think for a minute that your Grandma and Grandpa Aller being here meant that you spent any less time cuddling with your mom and dad! Your Daddy was able to take more time off during this time, and so, feeling more comfortable in our new routines, we carved out a lot of time to relax. During this month, one of your most fabulous firsts was smiling in response to being kissed or when your goofy mom or dad would do something silly. And believe me - we did everything we could to get that smile to come out!

While here, your Grandma Aller held you as much as she could - she wanted to do a lot of your bottle feedings (Mom was probably a bit too shy, so she spent a lot of time tucked away alone on the pump so you could eat by bottle) and your diaper changes. She mastered your cloth diapers like a champ! A lot of the time, she just enjoyed sitting with you on her lap. Your Grandma Aller has a lot of grandkids and even a few great-grandkids, but she definitely believed that you were the most special and most beautiful!

Right before Thanksgiving, you and your mom and dad and grandparents traveled about an hour east to a neat country restaurant/club to enjoy a good steak dinner, and you got to dance with your daddy for the first time. Personally, I thought that was the cutest thing ever! Then, you hung out with your Grandma and Grandpa while your mom and dad took a twirl around the dance floor.

Your first Thanksgiving was very neat, from your "I'm a little Turkey" bib, to a dinner full of family and friends, to your rivaling onesies with your cousin Zach during the Cowboys/Seahawks football game. You took advantage of having bunches of people here wanting to see you...by sleeping most of the day! Geez, you didn't even have tryptophan! We'll let the pictures tell the rest of the Thanksgiving story!

We really enjoyed getting to take you out for your first Sunday brunch right after Thanksgiving, and then spent the day driving around the area to show your Grandpa some of the little local airports, in case he decides to fly his own plane in next time. As usual, when you were saddled up in your car seat, you were happier than a clam!

During your second four weeks of life, one of your signature moves was the stretch. You stretched and stretched and stretched and stretched. We joked that you were stretching right into being a 2 year old! You had your one-month checkup and measured in the 90th percentile for height and weight - you developed fabulously despite a bit of a rough start. You also got your first shots, but handled that like a champ! You began wearing 3 month sized clothing at 6 weeks - we were astounded! Your little feetsies also grew fast - your couple pairs of newborn shoes lasted for about 3 weeks and then you were into size 1's. One of your big accomplishments in your second four weeks was to grasp toys. We could hand your your plastic rings or your Mooby rattle and you would hang on with a fierce grip and wave them around in front of your face.

Grandma and Grandpa babysat you for us twice while they were here - once so we could go out for dinner and a movie, and once so daddy could take mommy to get her wisdom teeth taken out. Both times, you were a perfect angel for them! It was really hard for them to leave at the end of your second four weeks of life, but even before they left, plans were made to get together again in 2009, up in Idaho, where your daddy grew up! In this last picture taken when you were 8 weeks old, you look pretty happy about getting to see them again soon!

We love you, Catherine!

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Catherine, Weeks 1-4

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Aller) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

If you haven't already, go read the preludes to "Dear Catherine, Weeks 1 to 4" over at How to Have a Baby, where I share her birth story, as well as stories of the time leading up to her arrival.

Dear Catherine,

The first four weeks of your life (October 9-November 5) were happy, heartbreaking, and hectic, in that general order.

Your dad and I were more excited than anything to have you join our family. So much so that we absolutely couldn't wait to leave the hospital and come home to introduce you to your new home and our puppies and kitties. This first picture of you is from when we first brought your home on October 11th, and we plopped you in your bouncey and let you look around. When we got home from the hospital, your Uncle Jerry and Lori came to visit, as did your Aunt Patti and your Uncle Don and your cousin Jamie. They were very excited to meet you!

Your first few days at home were fairly uneventful. On your first full day at home - October 12th - you got to watch your first NASCAR race on TV. You actually seemed to be looking at the TV - very cute. On day three at home - October 14th - you got to enjoy your first bath before getting ready to go to your first doctor's appointment. We couldn't wait to brag to the doctor that you were already quite actively holding your head up on your own! We also couldn't wait to brag that you were also already sleeping more than 4 hours at a clip - what a treat!

Unfortunately, your doctor would have news for us that would quickly turn happiness into heartbreak. While we were in the doctor's office, we learned that you'd lost too much of your birth weight and that we would have to start force-feeding you (or in your case, force-nursing you) in order for you to thrive. But what we learned after we got home was far scarier. You see, your bilirubin levels had climbed through the roof since you left the hospital, and were within a hair of the level thought to cause brain damage. Your mom's heart damn near stopped when your daddy took that phone call. Luckily, the doctor wanted to try to get you better at home instead of tucking you back into the hospital. So the home health folks showed up with some nifty blue lights and turned you into our little glo worm.

You had to be under those lights at all times until your bilirubin levels came down to a safer level. In addition, you had to be force-nursed every 2 hours, on the dot. Twelve feedings a day, no excuses, no exceptions. And for added fun, we had to take you to the doctor's office every single day to be weighed and to have blood drawn. We kept up that routine for a full week. At least you got to try out pretty outfits, like this one, during our doctor visits. Your daddy changed every single one of your diapers during that time, just so he could hold you, and we all slept in the living room for that entire week, so there was enough space to set the lights up around the portable crib that we brought out from our bedroom. Thank God, you gained weight like a champ (including 5 ounces in one day, which caused the nurse to accuse mommy of supplementing you!) and your levels came down steadily to a much safer zone.

Even though we weren't supposed to take you out from under the blue lights unless you were being fed or going to the doctor, we couldn't resist posing for a few pictures. Unfortunately, posing with the self-timer on mommy's camera resulted in some goofy shots - but when we were snapping directly of you, the pictures were beautiful 100% of the time! You were the most peaceful looking baby whenever you slept - and you were just the best snuggler in the world, which made it hard for your mom and dad to have to put you back in your crib and under those lights.

During your first four weeks, we didn't have any visitors, other than the day you came home from the hospital. We did, however, send lots of pictures to your Grandma Karen in Idaho, your Grandma and Grandpa Aller in Arizona, and your Grandmother Lewis in Pennsylvania.

The most special pictures we took in October were when the Phillies won the World Series on October 29th. Here's why mommy thinks that's special: her birthday is October 8, 1980, which was the same month as the Phillies' very first World Series championship. Your birthday is October 9, 2008...and just after your birth, the Phillies won the World Series for only the 2nd time in franchise history. Go Phanatics!

When you were 2 weeks old, your mommy started to make friends with her pump, and so you were introduced to a bottle. Even though you were fed breastmilk exclusively, we wanted to get you used to drinking from a bottle well in advance of mommy going back to work. In addition, your dad couldn't wait to start feeding you. Having some milk stored away in the fridge made it easier to go out on trips to the mall and the grocery store, too. You also got to go out visiting several times, including going to mommy's office and going to your Aunt Patti's house to see your cousin Zachary on Hallowe'en. You had the cutest onesie and sockies to wear for Hallowe'en - and had a terrific day that day.

During your first month, you loved swinging in your swing, picking your head up on your own to look around, looking at your mommy and daddy very closely, and turning your head to see the TV. You grew rapidly - you went from having lost more than a pound of your birth weight to being in the 90th percentile - and loved loved loved being cuddled. One of your favorite activities was waiting until we had your cloth diapers off to pee all over us - we cleaned up a lot of puddles! We also learned that you could poop, pee, puke and sneeze simultaneously. And that takes talent! You refused to even consider a pacifier during your first four weeks, but didn't mind being soothed by a purring kitty.

We love you, Catherine!

Mommy and Daddy