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.

What Little Girls Are Made Of

We've been having tons of fun with our sweet little baby girl. The picture above is Lailey (1 month) and Davey playing. She loves to watch his crazy faces, and he makes some good ones! According to Daddy, this is her "favorite spot" on the couch. They play a lot in that spot. Below is Lailey taking a nap with me on the same day. I love the way she sticks her little bum up in the air.

Can you see the resemblance between them? Of course, Davey's posing for this silly picture, but Lailey is really asleep in her swaddling wrap.

Again, in their favorite spot, Davey got Lailey to hold on to the Bunny Book.

Lately she has really taken to her activity center that her Grandpa (Jim) bought her. She likes to listen to the music and kick around. Just this week she seems to be batting at the toys hanging down, and every once in a while will grab onto one.

On this morning, I brought Lailey in to Daddy to snuggle. It was so sweet, I went and got the camera and started snapping pictures. This is my favorite.

Here's Lailey laying in the papasan chair in our room.

At the beginning of May, my Grandma Cele came to visit all the way from WA. We had a wonderful visit and she got to spend a lot of time with her great-granddaughter. It was a very special time since we don't see each other often. I miss you already, Grandma! Oh, and Rudy misses you too. He told me.

At Lailey's last doctor's appointment (she was 5 wks. old), she weighed 9 lbs. 10 oz! This puts her in the 57th percentile for weight. She's probably close to 10 lbs. now. Every time I think about weighing her, I'm either feeding her or she's asleep. It still amazes us that we were told she "measured small" and look at her now! God knew what he was doing with her. It's proof that every kid grows at different rates, even in the womb.

Bath time has become VERY fun for us. She's quite happy in the warm water, but usually cries once we take her out. We thought it might be because she got too cold, so today I stole her Grandparents' idea (David and Lagene) and warmed her towels in the dryer to see if it made a difference. Well, she still cried. Oh well. I figured I'd try.

This week a VERY wonderful thing happened...dun dun dun...Lailey slept through the night!!! I didn't want to get my hopes up thinking it would happen continually from now on, but she did it the next two nights as well! Three nights of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I feel like I could do anything! Well, not really. But it sure has helped. She's also getting better at falling asleep on her own. She's found her fingers and will suck them to soothe herself to sleep. It's so cute! We peek in and watch her sometimes as she drifts off. Ah, she's such an angel.

Sometimes I just cry when I hold her and thank God for how beautiful and amazing she is. Every day is a new adventure and it's incredible to see her learn things and change. I don't want to take any second for granted.

Some FAQs...a little late

Lailey on Davey's lap

Daddy reading the "Bunny Book" to Lailey

Grandpa and Lailey

Granddaddy and Lailey

Okay, so I know we haven't talked to a lot of people lately due to the excitement and busyness in our life lately.  But I wanted to try to get another post up here.  I figured I'd do another round of FAQs to answer the questions people have been asking.  If you think of anything else, let me know.  Oh, and someday I will eventually get my birth story posted.  

To begin, Lailey Claire Akin was born on April 7, 2009.  She was 8 lbs. 0.4 oz, and was 20.5 inches long.  So much for "measuring small!"  See, petite people can have normal sized babies.  

WHERE DID WE GET HER NAME?  "Lailey" was Davey's great-grandmother's name.  We loved the name when we heard it, but we changed the spelling a little.  "Claire" was a favorite of ours and fit well with "Lailey."

IS SHE SLEEPING AT NIGHT?  Right now she's doing a pretty good stretch at night, especially if I keep her feedings on a pretty consistent schedule during the day.  She eats REALLY well.

HOW'S RUDY DOING WITH LAILEY?  Well, as you can see from the video I posted previously, he really loves her.  He hasn't shown any jealousy or over-protectiveness.  I think it stresses him out a little to have her cry.  He sort of looks at me like, "Can you fix it?"  He still gets really excited when we have visitors, but other than that he's doing great.  We've tried to make sure his life is still fairly normal.  In fact, Davey took him on a good run this morning.  

ARE WE ENJOYING BEING PARENTS?  Totally.  We're in awe every day of how beautiful, sweet, adorable, cute, precious, and incredible she is.  We can't get enough kisses and cuddles.   

ARE THE GRANDPARENTS LOVING THIS?  Haha, to say the least.  

WHO DO WE THINK SHE LOOKS LIKE?  Hands down, she looks just like her Daddy, especially when she's sleeping.  She's like a little girly version of him.  Everyone says she has his nose and lips.  But, she has my hair.  I'm happy I got something!  Davey says he's starting to see more of me in her when she's awake.  

DID WE EVER THINK WE COULD LOVE SOMEONE SO MUCH?  No.  It's just one of those things you have to experience to understand the feeling.  It almost brings tears to my eyes.  

So, I can't think of anything else at the moment.