4 Month update

Lailey did very well at her doctors appointment on Monday. She weighs 14.1 lbs. and is 24 inches long. She even "talked" to the doctor who said she's healthy and looks wonderful. Of course, she mentioned how cute she is, like we didn't already know. :) We're thankful for a clean bill of health.

I will eat it!

Lailey really enjoys being carried around in a Baby Bjorn carrier (thanks Jen!). However, it's the perfect height for her to suck on the rim of it! If you look closely at the picture, the top of it is soaked. She has a very strong sucking reflex, so this keeps her quite happy. This particular evening I was packing for us to go out of town for the weekend, and I got everything done thanks to being able to carry her around like this. My back was tired afterward though. She's not so little anymore.
Yay for new toys! I saw this while out shopping the other day and thought it would be perfect. My sister and I liked our Johnny Jump-ups when we were little, and I think Lailey is going to feel the same way. This one is a "Jenny Jump-up" I guess 'cause it's pink. Whatever. It's cute. She kind of just sat in it at first then starting sucking on the edge of it (reason for the blankets draped over the sides), but now she's figured out how to turn around using her feet. Only problem? She's PERFECT dog-licking height! Ahhh! Rudy is actually much better now at not licking her face, a behavior that I strongly discourage. I love my dog, but seriously...gross.
Davey and I have been putting Lailey in a baby seat at the dinner table when we eat now. It's fun to include her in praying for our food and eating, even if she's not eating real food yet. I snapped the above picture today while she was grinning at me. I just love her smile. And her toes...
She has the sweetest tiniest little feet! She might take after the women on my side of the family with little bitty feet.
I took this today of our sweet 4-month-old with her seahorse (best toy EVER! Thank you, Debbie!) taking a lovely nap all by herself. Recently I posted about having trouble getting Lailey to take long enough naps or only naps in the swing. Well, God answered my prayers and he did it through Davey. On the days he has kept her while I've been at work, she's gotten SO much better at going down for naps in her crib, by herself, with minimal fussing, AND she's sleeping a long time! Let me just brag on Davey and say how proud I am of him for doing an amazing job, not only at naps, but everything while I've been working. He is the best daddy in the world. Everyday he tells me about all the wonderful things they do together, and it just makes me so happy. We think the reason she's going down so much better and sleeping longer is that he doesn't let her get overtired. She will appear to be awake and happy, but if you wait too long then bam, it's meltdown time, making naps that much harder. Of course, as all the parents out there know, this napping success could change at any moment, but we'll take it for now and praise God for it.

Tomorrow is Lailey's 4 month check-up, which means shots :( Pray that she handles it well and feels okay afterward. On the upside, we get to find out how much she's grown. Yay for baby chub!

Back to Work

Yesterday I started back to work. Thank you to those of you who prayed for me, because I had a good day. It was hard to leave in the morning, but not as hard as I had anticipated it to be. God gave me a lot of peace about it. Davey is keeping Lailey this week, and so far they've had fun. I think he's enjoying the time alone with her. What a great Daddy (or Mr. Mom, as I've been calling him). Here are a few pictures from the last week or so. Check out the video at the end. It makes me laugh every time I watch it!

Tummy time with Rudy

This just cracked me up. It's my Shrek baby :)

Lailey in her pink Pooh bathrobe

Daddy's little girl

Don't even ask about the "song" Davey is singing to Lailey. He makes up the weirdest things that get stuck in my head ALL day. Grrr. But, it makes Lailey laugh so whatever works, right? I hope this makes your day like it does mine!

Hello Again

Whoa, so it's been awhile. Yes, we're back from vacation, and it was fun. Definitely different with a little one, but a good vacation nonetheless. Here's the video I promised on the last post...



Lailey is now a bit over 3 months, and she currently weighs about 13 and 1/2 lbs. She's healthy and adding cute and delicious baby chubby goodness every day. She's getting more smiley and interactive. She has found her voice for sure and will "talk" back and forth with us. She sleeps through the night, sometimes 9 hours. Last night...not so much, but fortunately that's the exception and she usually does really well.

Right here she let go of this rattle and it settled on her face. She was a little perplexed as to how to get it off, but I thought it was cute. She tried to eat it :)

Lailey's personality is coming out more and more. She's usually pretty happy, but she can be quite dramatic when she gets hungry or overly tired. The interesting part is, there's often not much warning, just 0 to 60 in a few seconds! We're getting better at anticipating her moods. She is learning to fall asleep on her own, but still will only take 45 min. naps (unless in the swing) and wake up crying. Any advice, anyone? I'm hoping it is something she'll just grow out of and adjust to taking longer naps later. For now, it will work.

Reading books has become so much more fun because she wants to touch them and feel any textures in them. How neat to explore! I must say, I enjoy children's books just as much, so it's nice for me too. She also likes to grab my face now, and she's getting strong so it hurts sometimes!
We have been enjoying our summer, but it's flown by. I have to return to work next week. Pray for me, because I'm a little anxious about it as I'm sure every new mom is when they have to go back. Pray that we'll make the adjustment well and that I won't stress too much. Also, pray that Lailey can learn to take longer naps on her own so she can be happier and have more fun while she's awake. God cares about these little things too, so that's why I'm asking for your prayers. Thanks for checking in with us!

Heading to the Beach

We're on our way to the beach! Today we left for Florida, but we stopped halfway to stay overnight in a hotel to break up the long trip. Traveling with a 2-month-old definitely has its challenges, but it's fun too. She did pretty well in the car. We stopped for lunch at Denny's and Lailey insisted upon pancakes, bacon, and eggs sunny side up (kidding, of course). Here is a picture of her on the bed at the hotel. She got very hot in the car, so we undressed her for the last part of the drive and that seemed to help some. I had to laugh at us carrying a baby into a hotel lobby in just a bib and a diaper! She's been pulling her feet up and putting them together like this, and I just think it's so cute. She's not reaching for them yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon. She's definitely found her hands though. She doesn't mess around with a thumb or a couple of fingers, she goes for her entire fist.

After getting settled and taking a nap, we decided it was nice enough outside to try a new adventure...the pool! Thankfully the pool was nice and warm, and she seemed to really like it!

I had a video to post, but for some reason it won't work on the hotel Internet, so I'll have to do it later.

Lailey and The Cathy's

The love of Chick-Fil-A starts early, right? Last week while Lailey was at Granddaddy and Grandmama's house (David and Lagene), they took her over to meet Mr. and Mrs. Truett Cathy. Mr. Truett and Mrs. Jeanette are good friends of the Akin's and have known Davey and his brothers since they were little. She got her picture made with them, and then Mr. Cathy gave Lailey her first Chick-Fil-A cow. I find it pretty hilarious that the cow is half her size.

2-MONTH-OLD PEDIATRICIAN APPT:
At 2 months, Lailey now weights 11 lbs. 7 oz. and is 21.5 inches long. She's getting more cute baby chub every day. Her weight and head circumference are right at average (about 50th percentile), but her height is only in the 25th percentile. Guess she might be short like me. Her doctor laughed at her standing on my lap, commenting on how strong she is and that's really 4-month-old behavior. While holding Lailey she said "Okay now, let your Mommy and Daddy enjoy you being a baby before you start doing math problems!" Yes, my 2-month-old fully supports her weight with me only holding on to her for balance, and she's been doing this for a while. She loves it too, pushing up on our legs to stand up. Sometime we'll video it and post it for you to see.

Two Months, and All Smiles

Lailey is 2 months old today! It's true: time flies when you're having fun, and we have a lot of it around our house. She brings us so much joy and laughter. Here are a few of our recent pictures. Check out the video at the bottom of our new game.

Crazy hair

Smiling at Mommy

Laughing at Daddy (so easy to do)

I'm 2 months today! (taken June 7th, 2009)

Me and my girl

Also, we go to the pediatrician tomorrow, so we'll find out how much this kiddo has grown.