photos

now - what everyone really wants to see. another glimpse of a photo shoot.

cade got a little jealous - and was pouting when i came back out in the living room

and just like that...

she rolled over!  I know some babies roll over at a week, some maybe longer - but Adilyn, in perfect time, rolled over on her own today.  We're so proud of her and amazed at how quickly she is growing. I know everyone warns you to cherish it, because it goes by in the blink of an eye. I guess I didn't really understand what that meant until now.  We can't do anything to slow down time, but we are definitely doing our best to cherish each moment.  Even when we're up in the middle of the night, or our conversation is drowned out by a cry that breaks your heart. It's all worth it and all amazing.  We're so thankful and so in love!
Lately, Adi has also been smiling a TON more - at everything and nothing. Yesterday, I was in the living room and could hear her giggling in her crib - just because. I went in to try to get some on tape, but she had stopped.  She was still smiling, staring up at her monkey friends on her mobile. Pretty cute Adilyn! It's the little things like that that just fill my heart with joy! 

The weather is finally starting to cooperate - sun shining and temperatures climbing. I'm hopeful for spring to break through so we can get outside more! I've walked almost every mall in the Twin Cities Metro :) Not to say that it hasn't been fun, but they are starting to feel a little too familiar.

All bundled up on a walk.

Adi has also started to 'discover' her hands.  Every once in a while, she'll catch a glimpse and start slow motioning her fingers around. It's pretty cute - especially because she doesn't seem to realize that they're attached to her!

Close up on the dimple on her chubby little elbow :) LOVE it!

This one's for the Grandparents :)

quiet weekend

Dan and I were able to enjoy some quality time together and with Adilyn this past weekend - with NO plans!  It was great to relax, get caught up on some cleaning and rest.  We also found out that Dan has bronchitis - so he's on meds now.  I woke up on Sunday with a little tickle in my throat which made me worried, but it seems to have gone away.  We're still trying to function within Adi's shorter sleep pattern through the nights - should've appreciated the 5 hour stretches we were getting more! Oh well, now we're starting to prepare for my return to work.  I still have until April 21 - but it is fast approaching and I'm starting to feel more anxious about it than I had anticipated.  I know Adi will be in good hands and it will be good for her and that this is just the season of life we're in - so I'm trying to pray the anxiousness away. 
We were able to Skype with Grandpa Dale yesterday too which was nice.  It's always nice for him to get to see Adi actually move and make noises instead of just pictures. 
Speaking of - here are a couple of pictures from the past couple of days.

Cade likes to be close to Adi - though he doesn't seem to understand that this stops her swing from actually swinging.

We've been practicing sitting and standing with Adi when Dan gets home from work too. She has some strong legs and is building up those neck muscles.

a day off

This will be quick..but wanted to update. Dan just took Cade to the dog park to get some of his energy out outside, instead of jumping over things and almost babies in the house! :)  Poor guy, stuck inside much too long this year due to the weather.
BUT - today has been great. Dan took the day off to spend time with Adilyn and me!  It was a nice, relaxing morning just lounging together.  We decided to get ready and head downtown Minneapolis to walk around the skyway since it's still too cold out to take Adi for a walk outside.  It was fun exploring down there, since neither of us have spent a lot of time there.  We grabbed a late lunch and Adi slept pretty much the whole time. 

Other than that, Adi and I have been mall walking quite a bit lately - again, due to the weather. 
It's so fun just spending time with Adi - more smiles than ever and we're even working on her rolling over.  I absolutely love being a part of this little girl's growth and development.  I feel so honored to be her Mother and am so thankful for her Father. Love you guys!

sleep less

The past few nights, Adilyn has thrown us off of our 'routine' if there is such a thing with a new baby in the house.  We're assuming she's going through another little growth spurt since I think she literally ate 12 times yesterday!  She's been eating roughly every 2 hours at night, which has been hard on me in terms of energy.  BUT - I don't want to complain about that...I feel honored to be the Mother of this beautiful little girl.  I've been realizing even more that, yeah, being a mother is hard - but it's such a privilege.  Even when I'm tired or holding back a gag while changing her ever growing full diapers, it's worth it. 
Lately, Ms. Adilyn has become much more chatty and we're loving it.  Whether she's sitting in her swing, staring up at the cow hanging above her or in our arms staring around the room, she's been making all kinds of little noises.  It's been so fun to chat back with her instead of rushing to try to calm her cries.  Though she seems to have developed a new little pouty cry - which Dan and I tend to mock. :)

I am SO thankful for this beautiful little joy in our lives.  I am so thankful that she needs me to wake up in the middle of the night to nourish her.  I am so thankful for how excited her Daddy gets when he comes home - how they explore the house together and look for things to 'stand' on - like the muffin on the counter.  I am also thankful for time off of work so I can get to know her better and get some rest when possible. 
We love you so much Adilyn.

getting a little wild...

Another busy weekend!  Friday night Dan had his first date night with JUST Adilyn while I went to my friend Tiff's bachelorette party.  It was a fun evening and I didn't even spend the whole night thinking about what they were doing or how Adi was.  We didn't have anything planned for Saturday - which was exciting to me...but we were fortunate to get free tickets to the MN Wild hockey game from our neighbors!  It was a fun afternoon with our friends Mr. and soon to be Mrs. Uran!  It was Adi's first (obviously) hockey game - and it was a good one even though we lost (lots of fights)!  We made it through most of the game, but once Adi had her bottle, she was ready for more, so we headed home a bit early. We had a couple hours and then Dan's parents came over to babysit Adi while we went to our friend Tryg's 30th birthday (and his twin brother, Noah)!  They did a casino night theme and it was a blast. Again, I was impressed that I didn't think about Adi too much or spend the whole time worrying.  It's nice to have some time with just the two of us, not focused on when Adi needs to eat next or get her diaper changed - but we were both glad to see her when we got home. 



Our first outing at a family (Cade too)

At the Wild Hockey Game (only took about 10 times to get a decent one - thanks Justin)

Sunday morning - Adi was up most of the night on Saturday, so I chose to do some feedings in bed

Oh and Cade got a couple of new toys since the ones we found under the snow were pretty gross. He's loving them (destroying them) already!

and then she cried...

and by she, I mean me - ok, not really - but I came pretty close as the nurse had to poke my little girl in the thigh with her 2 month vaccinations.  Fortunately, we had a nice relaxing day around the house, joined by Auntie Laura.  I realized that we don't really have any photos of me and the babe, so my sis snapped a few while we were playing.  I also put Adi's first 'real outfit' on today - something other than a sleeper, which is kind of fun!  Here are a few of the shots taken by Lola.

So fun playing with Adilyn!

Now for the real fun - our Dr. visit today.  Adilyn was a champ, as always during the general exam portion of the appointment.  Here are her stats:

Height: 20 & 1/4"
Head Size: 36.5cm
Weight: 7 lbs 9.5oz
That's right - all of those feedings are paying off, she's gaining weight beautifully!  The only one of those stats that makes it on the growth charts is her head size - which is good according to the Dr.  She was also very impressed that Adi has been sleeping at least 5 hours through the night!  I am equally impressed, proud of and thankful for that!
Today she had to get her 2 month shots also.  She honestly did REALLY well - she's a tough girl!  She only cried a little when the first needle pricked her and then again for the others.  Though her first cry was a bit delayed - as she spit her nuk out in a hurry!  After that, she calmed down VERY quickly and was ok as I was getting her dressed again.  The nurses were impressed and were nice enough to let me stay in the exam room to feed her after to calm her down a little more.  Overall, we walked out and you wouldn't have known that the little tike just got poked - what a champ!  Mommy, on the other hand was anxious going into it since Dan had to go meet our accountant.  I felt nervous and knew that I would HATE watching her get poked, and...I did - I almost cried when I saw the first one go in and had to look away while trying to reassure Adi. 
Here are the 'battle wounds'.

Quite the eventful day - ended with a wonderful evening of singing at our Church.  I think Adi likes the music like her Mommy - she was lulled right to sleep!

hope

hope: : to cherish a desire with anticipation
I wanted to provide an update on our friends K + J. To those of you who have been praying for them, thank you and please continue to do so.  I've shared that this unthinkable suffering is something that has caused me to struggle - to wrestle with the Lord in anger at why this would happen.  However, over the past couple of weeks, I have been encouraged by, of all people, Kristen - to hope.  I am now trying to pray for hope - for K + J to hope in their future all the while, remembering and cherishing their sweet daughter, Natalie.  Again, please just continue to lift them up in prayer. 

Today, we took advantage of the 45 degree weather and got out! We took a walk around the neighborhood and it felt great - though I quickly realized it has been a LONG time since I've worked my cardio :)  I think the temp is supposed to stay relatively nice this week, so maybe one of these times Cade will get to come with us - we'll see how brave I am.

I gave Adi another bath today and it was the first time since we've been home that it didn't result in crying! She kind of smirked when I dipped her into the warm water, so I think she might have enjoyed it even. 

I am still feeling a little tired and the Dr. prescribed me some antibiotics this morning to treat my mastitis. :( At least I know it'll be taken care of!  Just ready to get back to normal.

Tomorrow we have Adilyn's 2 month Dr. appointment - so I'm excited to see how much she weighs and all of her growth stats. We feel like she's grown significantly, but it's hard to say when I see her every day. 

More to come!

getting a grip...

We had another busy week and weekend - but all fun filled visiting with friends and trying to adapt our social life to include Adilyn.
Friday night, we had friends over for dinner which was a blast.  They brought their German Shorthair over, so Cade got some of his energy out with his friend Roscoe.  Unfortunately, Ms. Adilyn didn't sleep too long on Friday night, so I was up a few times - and a little tired while getting ready on Saturday morning.  I headed to a Bridal Shower to celebrate our friend Mary and Justin's upcoming wedding.  Dan met up with a few of the hubbys to spend the morning at Cabela's.  He was a little worried about having to feed Adi at the store, so he dropped her off at his parents' house in Elk River.  I was able to take a quick nap in the afternoon and then we headed back to Elk River to welcome home his friend Jon from Afghanistan.  It was great to see him and their family again, but we called it an early night - in an effort to get a little more sleep, especially with daylight savings springing forward! :( 
Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out too well, as we were 'forced' to stay up to see the outcome of the MN Boys' State Hockey Tourney which went into overtime..then I woke up multiple times to feed Adi.  At the 3:30am feeding, I felt a little weird, so I took my temp to find that it was 100.4 degrees.  I had been feeling very cold and bundling up as much as possible in the blankets, then having to throw them off minutes later.  A few experienced mothers I know suggested that it may be due to mastitis.  I felt a little off all day Sunday, so I just tried to rest.  I feel MUCH better today - but still made a Dr. appointment to get checked out in case. 

I'm still amazed at how the lack of sleep is quickly forgotten when we have fun little moments awake with Adi.  We were able to capture a fun little milestone on camera this weekend - with our help, Adi held onto the rattle and even tried to gnaw on it a bit - she quickly got frustrated once she realized it wasn't giving her any milk though!  SO fun to think how quickly she's grown and to see her little personality start to come out.
I have a video of this - but I'm having some trouble uploading...will try again later.

two months

Well, tomorrow marks Adilyn's two month milestone - and it's pretty incredible to think of all of the developments we've seen in this short time period! 

She's not only put on weight (especially in her cheeks) but she's making new noises, more alert, awake longer during the day, getting stronger - especially her neck, and even what I like to think smiling (though pretty random still).  It's hard to believe that Dan and I love her even more than we did Day 1, which we thought was a LOT. 

Even though she's not a huge fan of tummy time, we've still been working on it and she seems to be able to pick her head up from time to time - but quickly gets frustrated when her face ends up planted on the surface below her.  Poor girl!

This is probably just for the Grandparents viewing enjoyment. :)

I thought I'd try out the Bumbo seat - just to see what she is capable of.  Though, she's still so small, that she pretty much still fits within the seat completely - so her head is somewhat supported behind her. 

All kinds of new developments - so fun to watch and be a part of.

lost socks

Yesterday went so quickly and I'm not even sure what filled it!  Adilyn and I ventured out again to get some more diapers and wipes at Target - seems we go through them VERY quickly! It's been fun with Adi being awake more during the day and being able to hear her make some new noises.  I've gotten so used to being ready to soothe her or check on her anytime I hear a peep - but lately she's been making some different noises, not even followed by crying!  I've been trying to make sure to 'talk' back to her when she makes those noises so she knows it's good to vocalize and keeps it coming! 

I've heard from a few parents of little girls that we'll be so excited to hear her first talk, but then quickly wish there was a pause button - apparently little girls can be quite talkative. :) Not sure that was true for me of course! :)

Last night, we went to the Hospital to visit our friends' new addition to the family, Riggins.  He was born early too and is currently in the Special Care Nursery.  It was fun to meet him and spend some time with Josh and Ashley!  The memories of those special nurses and that quiet, cozy environment quickly came flooding back to when we were there with our little one.  We are so thankful for the amazing nurses that took care of our little Adilyn while we were at the Hospital. 

I've been surprised at how much laundry I've already done - just of Adi's.  I know her stuff is all so small, so it doesn't take long, but she can sure go through clothes quickly, between spit up and some diaper spill overs :)  We don't put socks on her very often since most of her 'outfits' have footies - but we have a time or two.  I officially lost my first sock in the laundry this week - though in my defense, look how small they are! The dryer probably confused it for lint! This sock currently goes almost over her entire calf too!

Other than that, we're just enjoying each moment with our little one and loving how much she grows and changes each day! 

the new 'norm'

So basically, we're quickly discovering that there is no 'normal' anymore.  Adilyn's schedule is a little more unique since she came early and was SO small (and still is pretty small) - our focus has been making sure she puts on weight.  I have no problem with that, it's just interesting to see how new moms adapt to their new 'normal' when their babe started with a little more of the baby chub than Adi.  Two nights ago I got 7.5 hours of sleep - last night, not so much :) I guess that's to be expected!

It's the little things I suppose, like the fact that she's allowed us to swap out the other kind of NUKs when she used to refuse them. 

Or maybe that we now have to give her twice what we used to in her bottle - still have to supplement her feedings to make sure she gets some additional calories.  Not to mention the extremely loud cries she lets out when it's bathtime - when she used to enjoy, or at least quietly tollerate her bathtime.  Or that she's been less dependent on her paci during the day than she used to be - look at this, not even in her mouth while she dozes off in her swing. 

I just love the little things - especially when our daughter is one of them!

7.5 hours

of sleep last night! Although it's pretty incredible that Adilyn slept so long, I am NOT planning on that as the norm :) I'm not surprised since throughout the day yesterday, Adi ate pretty much every 2 hours so I think she stocked up for a longer evening. 
We had a very busy weekend - which is why I haven't posted anything until now. 

FRIDAY -
We ventured out to the Mall of America once Dan got home from work.  We were getting a little stir crazy and wanted to do some walking around the mall since the cold weather has kept us from doing much of that outside so far.  It was fun to just browse - check out some deals and we even ate at a sit down restaurant in the mall!  Adilyn did wonderfully, and I can already tell she'll like the malls like her Mommy. :)

SATURDAY -
I went to my friend Ashley's baby shower to celebrate the birth of her baby boy, Riggins.  He was born early and is still in the Hospital for a couple more weeks, but is getting stronger every day!  It's fun to think that he'll be a playmate for Adi -- or maybe more? who knows! :)
During that time, Dan took Adi up to his parents house so she could meet his Aunts and Cousins.  It sounds like it was a fun time and as always, Adi was a hit!
Saturday was also the first time Dan and I ventured out together without Adilyn.  Grandma and Grandpa Peltier came down to watch Adi while we went out to eat to celebrate our friend Janette's birthday!  Even though she was sick and Dan wasn't feeling super well, it was a good time out.  We were only gone a couple of hours, which I think was a good plan so I didn't get too anxious about leaving.  Everything went well and it made me appreciate my time with her even more.  I really hadn't been away from Adi for that long until Saturday - so it was a bit of a 'test' for me too.  I forgot to have them snap a pic of Dan and I before we went out, but here's one I wanted to get - 3 generations.

I also took another one of Adi in her carseat - it's amazing how much she's grown since the beginning!

out and about

Not too much to update - we've just been enjoying our time with Adilyn as she continues to grow each day!  Sometimes I feel like she's not too much bigger than when she was first born, but today I looked at the birth announcements we sent out and realized how much adorable baby chub she's put on even since we've been home!  I love her chubby little cheeks and can hardly believe how different she looks after only 7 weeks - though Dan said she's starting to look more like me due to the roundness of her face.  It's fine, I've accepted my round face.  :)

Other than that, we're trying to return to 'normal' life - as best as you can with an early, little baby.  Adilyn's weight gain is definitely priority #1 for us - so our schedule is still pretty much determined by her need to eat. I am fortunate enough to share in these unique challenges with a few ladies from our Church - which is incredible for helping me not feel like such a weirdo.  Our 'normal' life has been slower to return, and we know it will never be the same- just better with our little one in tow. 
This week, we visited Dan at his office on Wednesday, went to Church on Wednesday night and visited my office yesterday!  At the least, I'm building up my biceps toting the car seat around.  :)
I was so busy visiting with everyone and passing Adi around to be admired that I didn't snap any photos at my office - but had a mini photo shoot since I had to change a 'blow out' situation anyway :)

Cade is getting more curious about Adi.  I'm not sure if it's coincidence, but he even calmed her down a couple of times when she was crying in her swing and I couldn't get to her fast enough. He just walked over and gently touched his nose to her face and she stopped crying!  Maybe he's her little calming device...we'll have to see.

Since this cold weather insists on continuing, I think Dan and I will venture out to a mall to do some walking tonight.

cherishing each moment

appreciate: to recognize the quality, significance, or magnitude of...time

Adilyn is 7 weeks old today!  It has just made me realize how much I appreciate the time that I've had with this beautiful, growing girl! It's hard to believe it's already been 7 weeks - and it makes me cherish each minute I have with her even more.  Maybe I'm selfish - or maybe this is normal for a mom, but I just want all of the time I can get with her! 
People have very kindly asked if they want me to watch her while I 'go out/get away' - and I just keep thinking, no! I want to be with her.  :)  Though I definitely am thankful for people willing to help, I LOVE caring for this little girl and wouldln't trade it for the world - even if that means I'm a little more limited in where I go and what I do! 

Over the past few days, Adi is starting to have a more 'regular' schedule - at least in the sense that she pretty much always gives me a 5 hour sleep stretch at night. It has been amazing and I am so thankful for it because she is awake MUCH more during the days - meaning I usually don't get my naps. 

Last Sunday morning I asked a friend at Church...when do you think I'll stop being tired? Her response - you won't, you'll just get used to it.  I didn't think that could be possible for someone like me, who has always been very good at and LOVED sleeping!  Surprise #1 million of having a child, it's true - I am learning to live with less sleep or at least segmented sleep.  I'm finding myself less ready to take a nap during the day and more excited to get out and about in the world!  Maybe it's because of how we started our time with Adi - we had to be in the hospital for the first 10 days of her life here, though I understand that's not that long for a baby in the NICU...
I think I was so used to being inside - and was a little afraid of the cold weather - that I didn't feel anxious or much of a desire to venture out.  Now that the sun is shining and I feel like I know what my daughter is telling me with her noises and cries - I'm ready to get out there a little more. 

Today I brought Adi in to Dan's office to show her off to his co-workers.  Then we went out to lunch nearby - which was also nice.  Adilyn slept pretty much the entire lunch in her car seat - what a trooper!
Here they are, hard at work. 

Side Note: Dan had to turn his computer on to make it look like he was working before I snapped the pic! :)  Love you honey!